Jaime Derringer | USA Character Blog

Hunting and Gathering with Fredericks & Mae

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 -0500

As a self-appointed "trendspotter," I am always on the lookout for new ideas and people doing something unique--and not just in the sense of using a trendy chevron in a new way, but truly different than anybody else.

That's how I spotted Fredericks & Mae, the Brooklyn-based art/design team of Jolie Mae Signorile and Gabriel Fredericks Cohen. Fredericks & Mae are tapping into a niche that I don't see too many other places--a kind of spiritual-meets-Native American-meets-meets-tribal-meets-prehistoric trend.

We all know that tribal patterns, ikat, and those types of prints are currently very popular in both fashion and home decor, but I'm not talking about that with Fredericks and Mae; I'm talking archaic caveman-esque, hunting and gathering designs... Hunger Games style. They create objects like bows, arrows, tassels, and "worry beads" too that aren't specifically decor items, but more like artistic talismans or good luck charms.

The objects are part art, part design, and part playful... somehow I want them and yet I don't know exactly how I'd use them or what I'd do with them! They make "war" games, too but their versions are much more artistic and easy on the eye than traditional checkers and backgammon. So go hunt and gather a Character Approved collection of your own in their online store or select retailers.

[Image: Fredericks & Mae]

This Is Not a F****** Droog Light Light

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 -0500

I can always count on Droog to create things I don't understand, and this lamp definitely falls into that category--except that it's not made by Droog. Made by Castor, a Canadian multidisciplinary design studio, the creative lamp called This Is Not a F****** Droog Light Light is a mouthful and an eyeball-full. I'm strangely drawn to it.

Inspired by guitar pedals, this lamp is made from 12-volt rubber truck lights that plug into a power box. Using magnets and what appears to be phone cord, the lamp can be hung and stretched just about anywhere. Its setup is unique, reminiscent of Doc Oc from Spiderman with its far-reaching tentacles... certainly a Character Approved conversation piece for your home. It comes in one-, three-, and five-light configurations.

You can purchase the light through YLighting.

[Image: Castor]

Material Good: From Good For Good

Thu, 03 May 2012 08:30:00 -0500

In the design world, people typically make things to sell, to solve problems, or as artistic expression. Not too often are there goods being made with a specific charitable purpose in mind, nor is it very frequently that I come across goods that were actually made from charitable efforts for charitable efforts.

Seattle-based Material Good is a small company that gives back in a big way. Founder Lauren Burman created the company as an homage to her late grandmother whom she lost to cancer. She trained for a marathon to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and for each donation she received, she decided to give a gift in return--a small vase. She dubbed the vase "Little Shirley," after her grandmother. She noticed that these vases began to symbolize the donors' own personal stories of survival and loss. It was then, after she completed her marathon, that she decided to start making them available to the public in a new effort to support her cause.

Lauren donates 10% of the profits from the sale of each Little Shirley vase, which come in just about every color of the rainbow and then some. She hopes to expand the variety of causes she works with as the business grows. She explains, "Our vision is to create an accessible pathway for consumers to make meaningful change in their community. By providing handmade pieces of ceramic art that benefit local change-making organizations, we hope to create a two-way exchange of giving."

Lauren's pay-it-forward attitude and her "for good" mentality is most certainly Character Approved. Bravo!

[Image: Material Good]