Bonjour, Paris!
Woolkrafts blankets
at Paris Design Week 2018
On September 1 the new study year usually begins. On September 5 Woolkrafts team began their trip to Paris. The goal of the trip was to take part in Paris Design Week 2018, where as part of LE OFF presented a new collection of plaids, created together with a Ukrainian designer Pavlo Vetrov.
You probably want to ask what kind of event it is and how did Yaroslav and Oleg get there? To put it very briefly, PDW is the beginning of a new season for designers from all over the world. By the way, not only professionals, but also all people who care about design and beauty can come there if they wish.
Our entire team was impatiently waiting for the return of Oleg and Yaroslav. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the office, we immediately started asking colleagues about the trip. What came of it? Read on.
About the collection: the set of plaids that Yaroslav and Oleg presented during the competition is called MOODS. It is about real human emotions and moods. There are three designs in the collection: Sensitive — when you want to dream and reflect, for creative and romantic natures; Naughty is about a playful mood (by the way, this design of the creators was inspired by a portrait of Einstein. Yes, yes, the same one where Albert shows his tongue), and finally, Curious - when you are in anticipation of new discoveries, it is perfect for tireless travelers and explorers.
— Welcome back home! Tell us, how did you find yourselves in Paris?
Yaroslav: In March, the MAЇNO team contacted us with an offer to participate in a competition for designers and manufacturers. The winners of this competition were supposed to go to represent Ukraine at the national stand during Paris Design Week 2018. At that time, we had just finished working on the Moods plaid collection together with Pasha Vetrov. We decided that this is a great reason to visit the capital of France this fall.
— How to prepare for participation in PDW 2018?
Yaroslav: We were in the office when we heard this great news. They were happy and immediately began to think about what to do before the exhibition. Fortunately, the first batch of blankets was already ready. Also, during the preparation, we needed to agree on a common stand for all participants. All organizational issues were taken over by MAЇNO. LE OFF was our first international exhibition outside of Ukraine, but everything went great!
— What was the reaction of the audience?
Oleg: We had good feedback about the design and quality of the blankets. We were lucky with the placement — it was our product that was the first that visitors saw at the general stand. Heard comments about a successful combo of colors and shapes. Many people admitted that they had not seen anything like this before, because they were used to the classics. In our niche, after all, there are much more classics than modern and contemporary.
— Did you enjoyed the atmosphere and event organization? Is it possible to hold such a fair in Ukraine?
Yaroslav: This year, the LE OFF exhibition moved to a new location — Ground Control, which opened last summer on the basis of a defunct railway depot. Interestingly, GC is part of the cultural program of the French railway company SNCF. It has everything: food courts, craft beer and cocktail bars, galleries, boutiques, an organic market and even its own radio station. And also book festivals, live music and, of course, interesting people.
It is nice that everyone is as open as possible to communication: about the projects and the exhibition in general, but also about the city and about everything. By the way, the atmosphere of this location is very similar to the Kyiv art factory "Platforma". Therefore, in general, there is nothing unusual, because similar events have been taking place in Ukraine for a long time. True, they are still mostly dedicated to recreation and entertainment, and not to international design exhibitions. It is still necessary to carefully consider how to diversify the typical formats with events for designers and other thematic things.
— What other events did you manage to attend as part of PDW 2018?
Yaroslav: We had one more day to make it to Maison&Objet Paris, a large-scale exhibition of design objects, gifts and interior decoration. This exhibition turned out to be so huge that it was simply impossible to have time to see everything.
I will give some numbers for clarity: 8 pavilions; more than 3,000 brands from 65 countries; 90,000 visitors (50% of them are not local). Towards the end, we simply "flew" past the rows and stopped only where it was really interesting. It makes no sense to compare this event with LE OFF, because these are two completely different formats. Impressed by the content and organization of Maison&Objet Paris, we understood exactly which exhibition we should participate in.
— Have you seen something really extraordinary? What is your best memory?
Oleg: I was impressed by many things. The giant gorilla statues in the section of lighting items at Maison&Objet were especially memorable. They looked as if they were alive and at the same time they were positioned as an interior - huge lamps. And at LE OFF, I was impressed by the realistic stand-up airplane, which you could go and hang out in. I liked the stand of the crowdfunding site for designers: there were interactive panels where you could design your own designer furniture. And I also remembered the designer lamp with magnetic fields.
— Did you enjoy Paris?
Yaroslav: I was in Paris for the first time. Still, we walked more along the streets, where there were almost no tourists (except us, of course). After all, it is always more interesting to get to know the city through the eyes of locals. Of course, we visited the Louvre, near the Arc de Triomphe. We also went to the Eiffel Tower, but we didn't really like it. They say that the Parisians also dislike her. One particularly famous Frenchman, who disliked the structure, even once said that he visits the restaurant in the tower only because "it's the only place in all of Paris where you can't see it." But I really liked the city and would like to return there.
Oleg: It was my first trip to Paris and France in general. I liked the developed metro network, which can be used to get to almost any point. Lots of very expensive cars on the roads and parking spaces for big bikes and mopeds. There are also many cafes and restaurants, designer shops and boutiques. However, no IAF. In some places, Kyiv resembled renovation works. I heard the French chanson and accordion only once - from the carousel for tourists. Pleasant and special Paris, but with its flaws, like any big city.
• • •
Колекція MOODS була лімітованою, але багато інших моделей завжди є тут ☺️
Bonjour, Paris! Woolkrafts at Paris Design Week 2018
Bonjour, Paris!
Woolkrafts blankets
at Paris Design Week 2018
On September 1 the new study year usually begins. On September 5 Woolkrafts team began their trip to Paris. The goal of the trip was to take part in Paris Design Week 2018, where as part of LE OFF presented a new collection of plaids, created together with a Ukrainian designer Pavlo Vetrov.
You probably want to ask what kind of event it is and how did Yaroslav and Oleg get there? To put it very briefly, PDW is the beginning of a new season for designers from all over the world. By the way, not only professionals, but also all people who care about design and beauty can come there if they wish.
Our entire team was impatiently waiting for the return of Oleg and Yaroslav. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the office, we immediately started asking colleagues about the trip. What came of it? Read on.
About the collection: the set of plaids that Yaroslav and Oleg presented during the competition is called MOODS. It is about real human emotions and moods. There are three designs in the collection: Sensitive — when you want to dream and reflect, for creative and romantic natures; Naughty is about a playful mood (by the way, this design of the creators was inspired by a portrait of Einstein. Yes, yes, the same one where Albert shows his tongue), and finally, Curious - when you are in anticipation of new discoveries, it is perfect for tireless travelers and explorers.
— Welcome back home! Tell us, how did you find yourselves in Paris?
Yaroslav: In March, the MAЇNO team contacted us with an offer to participate in a competition for designers and manufacturers. The winners of this competition were supposed to go to represent Ukraine at the national stand during Paris Design Week 2018. At that time, we had just finished working on the Moods plaid collection together with Pasha Vetrov. We decided that this is a great reason to visit the capital of France this fall.
— How to prepare for participation in PDW 2018?
Yaroslav: We were in the office when we heard this great news. They were happy and immediately began to think about what to do before the exhibition. Fortunately, the first batch of blankets was already ready. Also, during the preparation, we needed to agree on a common stand for all participants. All organizational issues were taken over by MAЇNO. LE OFF was our first international exhibition outside of Ukraine, but everything went great!
— What was the reaction of the audience?
Oleg: We had good feedback about the design and quality of the blankets. We were lucky with the placement — it was our product that was the first that visitors saw at the general stand. Heard comments about a successful combo of colors and shapes. Many people admitted that they had not seen anything like this before, because they were used to the classics. In our niche, after all, there are much more classics than modern and contemporary.
— Did you enjoyed the atmosphere and event organization? Is it possible to hold such a fair in Ukraine?
Yaroslav: This year, the LE OFF exhibition moved to a new location — Ground Control, which opened last summer on the basis of a defunct railway depot. Interestingly, GC is part of the cultural program of the French railway company SNCF. It has everything: food courts, craft beer and cocktail bars, galleries, boutiques, an organic market and even its own radio station. And also book festivals, live music and, of course, interesting people.
It is nice that everyone is as open as possible to communication: about the projects and the exhibition in general, but also about the city and about everything. By the way, the atmosphere of this location is very similar to the Kyiv art factory "Platforma". Therefore, in general, there is nothing unusual, because similar events have been taking place in Ukraine for a long time. True, they are still mostly dedicated to recreation and entertainment, and not to international design exhibitions. It is still necessary to carefully consider how to diversify the typical formats with events for designers and other thematic things.
— What other events did you manage to attend as part of PDW 2018?
Yaroslav: We had one more day to make it to Maison&Objet Paris, a large-scale exhibition of design objects, gifts and interior decoration. This exhibition turned out to be so huge that it was simply impossible to have time to see everything.
I will give some numbers for clarity: 8 pavilions; more than 3,000 brands from 65 countries; 90,000 visitors (50% of them are not local). Towards the end, we simply "flew" past the rows and stopped only where it was really interesting. It makes no sense to compare this event with LE OFF, because these are two completely different formats. Impressed by the content and organization of Maison&Objet Paris, we understood exactly which exhibition we should participate in.
— Have you seen something really extraordinary? What is your best memory?
Oleg: I was impressed by many things. The giant gorilla statues in the section of lighting items at Maison&Objet were especially memorable. They looked as if they were alive and at the same time they were positioned as an interior - huge lamps. And at LE OFF, I was impressed by the realistic stand-up airplane, which you could go and hang out in. I liked the stand of the crowdfunding site for designers: there were interactive panels where you could design your own designer furniture. And I also remembered the designer lamp with magnetic fields.
— Did you enjoy Paris?
Yaroslav: I was in Paris for the first time. Still, we walked more along the streets, where there were almost no tourists (except us, of course). After all, it is always more interesting to get to know the city through the eyes of locals. Of course, we visited the Louvre, near the Arc de Triomphe. We also went to the Eiffel Tower, but we didn't really like it. They say that the Parisians also dislike her. One particularly famous Frenchman, who disliked the structure, even once said that he visits the restaurant in the tower only because "it's the only place in all of Paris where you can't see it." But I really liked the city and would like to return there.
Oleg: It was my first trip to Paris and France in general. I liked the developed metro network, which can be used to get to almost any point. Lots of very expensive cars on the roads and parking spaces for big bikes and mopeds. There are also many cafes and restaurants, designer shops and boutiques. However, no IAF. In some places, Kyiv resembled renovation works. I heard the French chanson and accordion only once - from the carousel for tourists. Pleasant and special Paris, but with its flaws, like any big city.
• • •
Колекція MOODS була лімітованою, але багато інших моделей завжди є тут ☺️