david guarino (a zillion ideas) at yakitate

a zillion ideas at yakitatea zillion cap made of 100% silk material with kimono pattern

french-born, tokyo-based designer david guarino revives old traditions with a stylish twist by turning vintage kimono patterns into hot streetwear such as hats, skateboards, shoe laces, belts, shirts and more. he presented his works at the recently curated designboom show yakitate! at dwell on design 2011 in los angeles, june 24 – 26, 2011.

this bicycle hat is the latest version of the zillion caps. made with a slightly thinner material, 100% silk. the zillion brand logo is printed on top.

‘yakitate’ is japanese for ‘freshly baked’, and this designboom-curated cultural group exhibition featured the work of eight upcoming talents working in the contemporary design scene in japan, exploring the role of tradition and innovation, from functional design to sculpture through their work. in the diverse fields of animation, lighting design, architecture, sculpture, textile design and craft. for the duration of the show, the participating designers delivered 30 minute workshop performances, twice a day to visitors, giving them an up close look to their work and design process. large crowds gathered, offering a lively atmosphere.

Q+A sessions in each of these workshops were translated for those designers who were less fluent in english language.

left: traditional kimono right: japanese scissors that cut the fabric and silk

the making process of a belt covered with kimono fabric

the multimedia agency ‘a zilion ideas’ headed by david guarino does also creative & cultural consulting, film direction  and event production. this is a video that david guarino has created for designboom to present the various steps of the  making process of his product line ‘everythingisaremix‘, hand-made in tokyo, japan.

video © a zillion ideas

a limited edition of the zillion caps are exclusively available at the designboom shop!

zillion caps at the ‘yakitate’ exhibition image © designboom

shoe laces image © designboom

image © designboom

as part of the ‘yakitate’ exhibition, david guarino has also presented his magazine library exhibition concept. this pop-up exhibition focused on asian publications, most of which were japanese. it was the first time that many of these publications were brought to north america, providing a new source of material for magazine lovers.

yakitate installation and magazine library (right) image © designboom

installation view image © designboom

image © designboom