Catwalk cinema

Among the labels making use of film is Yves Saint Laurent. For its autumn-winter 2008-09 collection, it commissioned a work by multimedia agency Colonel Blimp. Creative director Stefano Pilati said he wanted to break the mould of the traditional catwalk show by toying with men's fashion in the context of the short film. The visual work is edited to evoke the passage of time - a day in the life of the Yves Saint Laurent home. Running at seven minutes long, it stars Simon Woods from HBO's "Rome". It was shown in a loop on three screens as part the recent Paris Fashion Show.

Swarovski turned to film to help showcase its spring-summer collections, tapping Hussein Chalayan and Nick Knight's SHOWstudio to present a 3-D experience with "Readings". Combining the futuristic effects of lasers with the natural beauty of crystals, the film also delves into ancient sun-worship rites and contemporary celebrity status as the lasers to refract light through Swarovski crystal-clad garments.

You can search for the YSL video on YouTube, while the Swarovski works can be viewed at www.showstudio.com

Colours of the day

New home decor and housewares products are coloured with an aim to bring liveliness to your home.

Kiosk, a New York-based store that collects unique housewares and products from around the world, features a set of three household brushes that are simply plastic strands bound with wire. They are imported from Mexico (US$15 (Bt495) at kioskkiosk.com).

Branchhome has a range of pastel-shaded bowels and trays from Bambu, an environmentally friendly brand that uses organically grown bamboo, natural lacquer, and non-toxic, water-based adhesives ($17 to $34 at www.branchhome.com).

Voque UK joins the colour trend with their Vision Storage System. It was originally designed in 1985 by Pierre Mazairac and Karel Boonzaaijer for Dutch brand Pastoe, and was undoubtedly influenced by the Rubik's Cube or the principle of De Stijl art and design ($17,990 at www.conranusa.com).

Bio-responsible

Last year Ango, a light and furniture design company based in Thailand, showed that renewable resources including silk cocoons, rattan, mulberry-tree bark and hand-cast polymers can make a decor masterpiece.

This year, Ango owner Angus Hutcheson is working on his next creations, which instead of being made in a factory, will be mostly grown on the farm.

 "We've been developing new materials, mainly based on rice and cassava, to form the building blocks of the new Ango collection," says the British-born Hutcheson. "These new developments are going to take us to a different level in terms of design, bio-responsibility and achieving a good and happy working environment."

The first couple of pieces will be unveiled in February or March. Upcoming shows for Ango include Maison et Objet in Paris this month, then Ambiente in Frankfurt in February, Thailand International Furniture Fair in Bangkok in March and then International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York in May.

For more details, see www.angoworld.com or call (02) 873 0167.

Viva Marimekko

Patterns are a crucial element for fashion designers. Since the 1950s, Marimekko's patterns have remained such classics that fashion gurus cannot take their eyes off them. Hence, footwear king Manolo Blahnik and H&M, the booming Swedish fashion brand, have each teamed up with Marimekko for new collections featuring colourful prints and creative patterns.

"The two just happened to fall perfectly into place - as bizarre as that combination may sound," says Blahnik in a press release. While travelling around Europe, Blahnik was inspired by the architecture of old Constantinople in Turkey and by Marimekko prints he saw in a shop in Bath, England. For his new line of footwear, he choose three patterns, "Mini-Unikko" designed by Maija Isola in 1964, "Unikko" Marimekko's most recognisable signature pattern and the more graphic "BonBon".

H&M, meanwhile, has created a collection with Marimekko's popular patterns in some 50 products that will be in H&M shops from April 2008. Focusing on vivid graphics and colours, the line will feature '70s-style dresses, tunics, skirts and shorts for women. For men, there will be summer shirts and shorts.

For more details see www.manoloblahnik.com and www.marimekko.com.