Design and you

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Andrew Mau

Andrew Mau is a Chinese American designer who grew up in Honolulu. At 22, he’s a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (where he focused on furniture design) and Punahou School (the high school that President Barack Obama also attended).

Mau talked to Creative Cat about his work and aspirations. Read on!



How did you get into art?
My interest in art/creative pursuits began at a very early age. My humble beginning with Play-Doh and crayons led to ceramic classes at the age of 9, and the pursuit of anything creative during my high school years. I have an interest in teaching and learning as much as possible, and have ventured into jewelry, glass blowing and casting, ceramics, essentially anything three-dimensional.

What do you want to do now that you've graduated?
Now that I've graduated, I would love to continue designing. I am looking for work in New York City, and hope to find it soon. Ideally, I would be designing for a large company for now, but would love to own my own design firm/company in the future.

What's your favorite piece that you have created so far? Why?
I hardly have favorite anythings in general. I don't have a favorite color or a favorite designer. I tend to find some pieces I've done significant or important to my growth, while not necessarily my favorites. My piece PERCH, the porcelain bowl with feathers that was shown at ICFF in NYC this May has had the most press, and drawn the most attention, however I feel as though it does not demonstrate the clean design that I am more attracted to. I enjoy ELLIPSE (the table for John Maeda) and SLIM VESSEL, the bent laminated wood vessels that won the 2009 Niche Student Award, because they both demonstrate a simplicity that I strive for.

What's your biggest design pet peeve?
My biggest design pet peeve is the mass of uninformed "green" products. Bamboo is a great resource, yes, however, the processing and glue it needs to be used as a planar material, seems to outweigh the "ease" of this material. I think the most "green" thing we can do is invest in quality, and change our disposable lifestyle. Buying used or vintage pieces instead of new pieces from IKEA would decrease waste period.

What's your favorite trend that's happening now?
I don't really have a favorite trend. (As I mentioned before, I'm not a type for favorites). I enjoy mixing materials and using them effectively, and can most appreciate the direct application of materials in their most effective solutions. I design like an engineer, understanding each materials properties and using them effectively in this sense. I would never design something out of wood, just because I could, I would much rather consider a material that would be appropriate for the construction of that particular design.

What are your five favorite Web sites?
I like facebook, dislike twitter. I play Settlers of Catan online. I have many design websites that I enjoy, but none worth mentioning in the top five. I am rarely online, and enjoy the outdoors much more. I love Trendy Blanks for affordable clothing, and also enjoy dumb video clips on YouTube.

Chamomile, please

At only 30 years old, Rachel Koo has her own clothing line and is churning out five collections a year. Right now she's in the middle of designing spring dresses and tops that will be unveiled at shows in Las Vegas and New York this fall.

Koo is a California native who uses Los Angles as a home base. She has been working on her label, Tea and Honey, for almost two years. Much of the clothing is in silk or cotton-silk combos that are sometimes washed down to give the fabric a vintage feel. Often, Koo's designs feature bare shoulders and bright vibrant colors. Purple in all shades -- violet, lavender and lilac -- are some of her favorites right now.

Koo initially studied art while attending UCLA. "I loved the colors and really loved the clothes and this was a way to bring the art and clothes together into something you can wear," she said.

Now, she uses friends' travel adventures, National Geographic photos and fashion blogs for inspiration.

"It's really exciting," Koo said. "I love what I do. It's great to be able to put your creativity into something tangible."

Tea and Honey designs can be found at Nordstrom, Anthropologie and Macy's, among other retailers.

California dreamin'

Ramis Kim is a Los Angeles-based painter, illustrator and animator. Born in Seoul, she says she started creating art as a child.

Ramis went on to study animation at the California Institute of Arts. Now, she paints, draws, and takes photos. She also blogs about her love of vintage fashion and fondness for delicious food.

Memories, dreams, old photographs and nature often inspire ideas, Kim said. As do attending art shows, band performances and museums and watching movies.

"My work represents who I am," she said. "Feelings in my work is is the most important thing. To be able to capture that well in my work, I like using mediums like watercolor and gouache."