We checked in with Catherine Federici, one of the creative forces behind Australian sunglasses company, ISSON Eyewear, and asked her what lead to her take her industrial design training and apply it to sunglasses design: ‘I worked in Optometry practices since I was fourteen. It just seemed like the better option to working the cashier at McDonald’s or Woolies. By the time I was at University, I was working at George Skoufis Optometrist in Paddington, renowned for quirky, unusual, unique frames and sunglasses and my passion for eye-wear design really evolved there. Coming from an I.D background, it seemed that the eyewear designer’s artisan approach to mass production was unique. I found this to be inspiring and a creative challenge I wanted to take on’.

Do you look back into the past or forward into the future for your design inspiration?
‘If I look too closely at other designers, I subconsciously end up designing like them so I try to be aware of the world but without looking too closely at it. Interesting to me, I seem to have turned a page in my own creative journey. Opting now for design experimentation and discovery as opposed to anything fashion related. I’d liken the process to a musician improvising and from that you get some great things and some crap things, but the thought process is free and fun’.

Why was there a need for Isson in the market? What was your agenda upon entering this space?
‘I should probably say it was because I identified a void in the consumer market, but Isson was really about fulfilling a creative dream. If you’ve ever made a kick-arse billy cart as a kid, you’ll know what I mean. As it turns out, when we kicked things off in 02/03 there were very few independent sunglass brands, none from Australia. There’s been a significant shift away from licensed fashion brands with confident and style savvy consumers turning to alternative brands and styling. Isson’s evolution has been a bumpy ride, with more life lessons than I care to admit but it’s all worth it when I get my prototypes and see someone on the street wear one of my designs’.

Tell us about the thinking behind the new range of sunglasses: what were the buzz words you riffed off when creating the range?
I created the latest range sitting in the State Library. The quiet, expansive space, surrounded by academia and feeling an openness in people there seemed to work for me on many levels. When designing I set out to be true to my own creative process and then when I’d come back to my drawings, I had to feel that I had challenged the norm otherwise I would bin it. Some of the words I reminded myself of were “Explore, innovate, free thought, random, unexpected, contradiction, bold, balance… often followed by “why the f— not?” It was by far the most challenging and rewarding collection to design so far’.

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Aēsop specialise in plant based skin, hair and body products. Founded in Melbourne in 1987, they’ve now established signature stores in Paris, London, Hong Kong, Zurich, Signapore and Taipei, as well as other locations around Australia. Parsley seeds are high in anti-oxidants, so this range makes a good alternative to the harsher facial cleansers around. The Parsley seed facial cleansing oil is ideal for normal, combination or dry skin in the summer months as it effectively removes grime and make-up without aggravating the skin.

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Tthey say Pixie Geldof wears one, so they must be good! But seriously folks, these unisex green F2 French army jackets are the bomb — no pun intended. They’ve made by UK fashion label, Client and they’ve been customized, so each one is totally unique.

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Ring the bells, the first of the long-awaited Art Series Hotels has arrived. The Cullen, in trendy Prahran, Melbourne, is five star luxury with a twist: each room is plastered with prints and art inspired books. Dripping with artist Adam Cullen’s work, The Cullen offers the opportinity to experience the Art of Living Fearlessly. It’s the first in a series of Art Series Hotels, which will include The Blackman and The Olsen.

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It’s a hot summer’s day and you’re cracking open your second beer. Life is good. But there’s something missing, right? Not anymore. Each bottle of the new Australian-brewed low carb beer, Skinny Blonde, features the soon to be iconic Daisy Blonde on the label, who — in a clever twist — reveals more and more of herself as the beer gets drunk. Or the drinker does. Whichever comes first. This cool initiative is the result of innovative heat sensitive ink technology which sees Daisy’s Bikini top on the beer bottle label disappear with each sip until she reveals all. Seriously! Now, boys. Slow down. Drink responsibly. The beer is brewed by the Sydney-based Brothers Ink, comprised of three friends, including Hamish from Aussie rockers, The Vines. Yup, if hypercolour shirts worked like this, we’d still be wearing them.

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We’ve been playing around recently in the Lost At E Minor office (in the nicest possible way!) with HP’s new TouchSmart TX2 notebook. It pushes the technology out there a bit, featuring a touchscreen monitor on a swivelling hinge and a nifty magnetic stylus. Swivel the monitor around, close it over the keyboard, and you’ve got a drawing tablet for those digital masterpieces. Use two fingers on the screen and you can do neat tricks like resizing and rotating images. Or go back to your roots and simply use the keyboard. Now, that’s what we call fun.

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