Top designers flock to Seoul for Herald forum

Herald Design Forum offers chance to see how design changes the worldIt seems almost too clich to talk about a design war, but that may the only way to define the cutthroat competition witnessed between companies hoping to set their brands apart with sleeker, more imaginative product designs. The iD

Oct. 3, 2011

Paris fashion week opens in black and white

PARIS (AFP) ― Paris Fashion Week got off to a black-and-white start on Tuesday as a duo of Asian designers sent out Spring-Summer looks for 2012 that played on monochrome in both setting and style.The global fashion pack descended on a Paris basking in gorgeous Indian Summer sunshine for the finale

Sept. 28, 2011

Bring your kitchen out of the dark with layers of light

Lighting is often described as the jewelry of the home. But it’s more critical than that, especially in kitchens, where it’s all about slicing, dicing and reading recipes. So maybe the new catchphrase should be: “Lights are the eyes of the home.”“Kitchen lighting is so crucial and should be one of t

Sept. 28, 2011

Sit! The half-dozen commands every dog should know

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Your mutt isn’t destined to be a movie star, therapy dog, bomb-sniffing expert, AKC champion or working K9?No worries. He or she can still be a well-behaved pet. A basic obedience class is one way to do it. But a little home-schooling can do wonders.Three veteran trainers were ask

Sept. 28, 2011

‘It will be a design war in the corporate world’

Karim Rashid says design is the key to brand identityKarim Rashid, the world-class industrial designer famed for creating the Bobble bottle and Oh! Chair, is coming to Seoul for the iDEA Herald Design Forum slated for Oct. 5-6.Often called the “Prince of Plastic,” Karim has over 3,000 products in pr

Sept. 22, 2011

Granite sharing the spotlight with glass, engineered stone and more

To anyone reading the real estate ads in recent years, it could seem that granite was the only material worth using for a kitchen counter, as important as updated electrical or a reliable roof.Granite isn’t going anywhere. But many designers and homeowners are turning to glass, manufactured stone, m

Sept. 21, 2011

Environmentalist touts stylish way to an eco-friendly life

Few youngsters have tried so hard to change the world as Danny Seo, who has championed eco-friendly ways of living at the tender age of 12 when he founded Earth 2000, an organization aimed at saving the planet from pollution. By the time he was 18, Seo had turned Earth 2000 into the largest teenage

Sept. 14, 2011

Tech firms seek outside help to polish product images

Apple sought assistance for iPod design; Samsung, Kia recruit top foreign talentGone are the days when it was enough for a product to be durable and reliable. Without the added attraction of savvy design, products just won’t sell, and this has become common knowledge in the industry. For instance, A

Sept. 14, 2011

Designer Galliano convicted in anti-Semitism case

PARIS (AP) -- John Galliano's drunken anti-Semitic ravings cost him his job at Paris luxury house Christian Dior and gave him a criminal record but didn't land him in jail, a Paris court ruled.The court found Galliano guilty on two counts of “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, ra

Sept. 9, 2011

Behind Apple’s products...is longtime designer Ive

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Steve Jobs has been Apple’s most recognizable personality, but much of its cachet comes from its clean, inviting designs. For that, Apple can credit its head designer, Jonathan Ive.Ive, a self-effacing 44-year-old Brit, helped Jobs bring Apple back from the brink of financial ru

Aug. 28, 2011

‘Rebel’ designer still rocking fashion world

TOKYO ― “It was like I was being advised to retire,” internationally famed fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto said when asked how he felt after being informed he would receive France’s highest cultural decoration.The remark fits Yamamoto’s image of a “rebel designer,” a nickname earned after a sensatio

Aug. 24, 2011

Adidas launches barefoot shoe

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) ― Adidas is going barefoot.The world’s second-largest athletic company unveiled its first “barefoot” training shoe Tuesday, which is designed to mimic the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe. The adipure Trainer, w

Aug. 24, 2011

Designer bridges music and fashion

Lee Ju-young, daughter of female designer Sul Yun-hyoung and C’est Si Bon music café owner, dresses top musiciansThis is the sixth in a series of articles on up-and-coming Korean designers. ― Ed.Her parents equally influenced her ― Lee Ju-young, founder and designer of the brand Resurrection,

Aug. 22, 2011

Designer starts anew with eye on overseas market

KAAL E SUKTAE sees orders from overseas buyers doubleThis is the fifth in a series of articles on up-and-coming Korean designers. ― Ed.Extra hangers were lined up in the KAAL E SUKTAE showroom in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, earlier this month for the 2011 F/W collection ready to be shipped off to 11

Aug. 17, 2011