Here’s a short interview (almost buyer’s guide) with Nicole Miller of Seattle’s Blackbird shop. On who their customer is? “It may sound strange but the Blackbird customer could be anyone.  People seem to see this store as whatever they want it to be. I work to honor the individual and simply give them a great selection of items to choose from and make their own. Blackbird offers five different price levels and that’s what makes us different. Most stores carry one, and if they add on they tend to buy those new brands differently.  We simply buy everything the same.  Dark and with great value.”

Read the full interview with Nicole Miller of Blackbird at Truman Says.

“Behind the scenes at the Acne Spring Summer 2011 show at London’s Kensignton Palace.”

Kapok pulls a nice one with this tote made by Porter for their personal shop. “The outer canvas material is made from one-washed thick canvas #4 with nylon lining and pockets, making this a simple bag with multiple functions. But what sets the bag apart is that finnish dead-stock fabrics (from marimekko) are stitched around the handle, which makes the bag look as if it is re-made and gives it an antique look. For the kapok edition of 30 tote bags, we worked with monotone fabric from Marimekko (white/grey/black) and a black interior the bag retails at our webshop.”

More looks at the Kapok Fennica Tote Bag by Porter after the click.

Other have discussed the Crystal iPod/iPhone dock from the Calypso Crystal house. Never been that much into crystal but this piece looks wonderful. How they made you say? “Each and every single Crystal Dock is handmade. It takes nothing less than few days to complete one Crystal iPhone Dock to perfection… In this early stage our Crystal Dock needs some rest and it’s cooled down under tight control, sometimes for as long as 48 hours. When the casting is cooled, the cold phase begins, which requires ultimate mastery and is the result of hundreds of years of knowledge and tradition.” Ipod dock, connector and all built into this crystal block. Not bad.

Check the unpacking a  Calypso Crystal iPod and iPhone Dock video after the click.

Big ole umbrellas. Hide under them at the starting line or the finish. “Originally created for the pit crew of the Rapha-Focus cross team in the US, this lightweight umbrella features the team’s distinctive multi-coloured livery and Rapha Focus logos…The umbrella is lightweight, has an ergnomic handle for comfort, tube with carbon finish and the canopy closes with a velcro fastener.”

More looks at the Rapha-Focus Umbrella after the click.

Fans push the movement… Oak Street Bootmakers delivers a “brown” version of their highly popular Trail Shoe. Same quality but with a new colorway. “Brown Horween Chromexcel leather. Hand-stitched moccasin construction. Vibram sole. Form-fitting inner. Waxed stitching. Rawhide laces. Handcrafted in the USA.”  Just putting it out there.

More looks at the Oak Street Bootmakers Vibram Sole Trail Oxford Shoes after the click.

Ghostly International should be known by some. We featured their bizarre totem piece delivered with the last Matthew Dear record. Today, we highlight a “antiquity” notebook worked over with one of Iceland’s modern design minds.They call it. “Thy Will Be Done.” “Our first product collaboration with Reykjavik-based designer Sruli Recht is a notebook for the ponderous. Save for the virgin pages, it resembles a book from antiquity. From the textured leather cover, to the water-warped paper, to the horseshoe nails that bind its pages, it is as much about tactility as it is functionality. Even in a digital era, the weight of words still bears meaning.”

More looks at the “Thy Will Be Done” Notebook for Ghostly International after the click.

“What’s going on in Manhattan’s Garment District? That depends on who’s asking, and on where “who’s asking” is asking from.”

So begins a project undertaken by Interboro Partners and published on Design Observer. Usually, we’d note something like this – a nod to the article and interactive feature – in our “Around the Web” post, but given that this pertains so centrally to our core interests it deserves early and individual credit.

Published yesterday, What’s Going On in the Garment District? is worth a portion of your lunch hour.

“The first in a series of reports done by Brooks to highlight some of the communities we continue to support. This reports features “L’Eroica”, a 200km randonneur in Tuscany that occurs every year in the first week of October. Participants must use bike no younger than 1987.”

Curated reports, “Located in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Fox Brothers Furniture Studio has been producing craft furnishings since 1983. Over that time the studio has moved from New Jersey and undergone three name changes. What has not changed is the inventive quality shown in the current selection of desks.

They make, of course, all sorts of furniture. I’ve highlighted the desks primarily because I think the Rumble Desk (above) so superb. Check out the full offerings at Fox Brothers.”

Much more here.