Image: Dion Roach

This week, I thought we would feature jewellery designers who are either based in the islands or refer to the islands for inspiration.

First up is Kristy Collado whose armour-like line of body decoration called Chéjo we stumbled upon a few months ago.  While Collado takes her inspiration from different cultures, she seeks to combine a metropolitan aesthetic with Caribbean flair using mixed metals and up-cycled leather materials.   The pieces are geared to enhance the presence of the wearer, bridging the gap between accessory and living art.

This splashy packaging is from Danish design label Normann Copenhagen. Twelve different carefully selected blends of loose-leaf tea have been packaged in colourful and striking tins which are designed to be displayed, not hidden.

In contrast to the Hangzhou stool featured above is this - part rocker, part seating, part storage – the U Stool by Richard Clarkson, Zena Verda Pesta and Clay Kippen.  Designed as a stool to encourage "active sitting" in that it engages the participant by gently rocking, allowing the sitter to use their abdominal muscles and feet for support, the stool also uses significantly less energy in the manufacturing process and is compostable.

With a similar aesthetic to the Alpha stool from Bēhance which we featured here, is the Hangzhou stool by Min Chen.

The stool consists of layers of bamboo veneer of varying lengths which are themselves made of several ultra thin bamboo layers.  The layers are aligned vertically in accordance with the natural direction of the bamboo fibres which makes them very flexible and strong.  Each bamboo veneer is bent in an arc and glued together at each end.  When the layers of the bamboo are sat upon, the arc of the stool is bent in the centre.  A piece of raw bamboo stick penetrates the two ends of the stool and provides additional sturdiness.

Image: Unknown

Over at Tod's there was a lot of perforated leather, flat sandals and pretty embellished loafers.

Image: Unknown

We're going to wrap up our fashion week coverage with a look at a few collections out of Milan which we liked, starting with this sportswear-inspired showing from Marni. 

Designed with the intention of encouraging interaction with its tactile surface, the Haptic chair by Trine Kjaer Design Studio, plays on our sense of touch and the way in which we are drawn to an object.  Made from oak and fabric, the backrest and the seating are wrapped with a rough material that stimulates the body’s different haptic sensitivities sensitivities.  The chair is designed to stimulate the hands with fine and detailed craftsmanship, while the areas in contact with the chair's back and the seat have a rougher and more tactile character.

Image" Isabel Marant for Target

After what seems to have been an interminable wait, a few photos of Isabel Marant's H&M collaboration which hits stores on November 14 were leaked online yesterday. Our favourite piece? This embellished jacket.

For all you font- and typeface-philes out there, Japanese retailer Uniqlo has collaborated with House Industries to create a line of long-sleeved graphic tees featuring typeface elements in bright colours and patterns.

Image: Unknown

Gorgeous bejewelled sandals were on show at Aquilano e Rimondi.