openers japan article march

i write a monthly article for the fabulous openers online magazine in japan, and for march, i was out of ideas on how to write another article that encapsulates fashion/design and my world with a focus on NYC when i hardly leave my apartment or office when here in NYC! an idea came to me after lunch with my friend yoko in february when i turned 44 on the theme of how we all have uniforms whether we're aware of it or not, and how my uniform has shifted over the years from artist to graphic designer, and is now getting more fashion insider. i know it can read as shameless self promotion, which is actually fine – there's nothing wrong with my look as a branding project. post in japanese here.

nooka is available at fine stores and here. remember, you get a free copy of deastro's keepers with every nooka.com order while supplies last.

join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nooka_ on twitter.

studio visit: limité magazine

this wednesday i finally met up with the brains behind limité magazine, adrian farquharson in my nyc studio. we had a great chat and found out that we both graduated from the same high school [but no joke, different centuries!]. you can check out his tastemaker site here. note to self: green makes me look very very very pale!

i also noticed that he has a great post on the nookanooka today. thanks adrian!

the nooka adrian wears is available at fine stores and here. remember, you get a free copy of deastro's keepers with every online watch order on this link.

join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nooka_ on twitter.

some music nooz

some music news for the weekend and beyond.

michna michna michna: i can't believe michna is still on tour, but nice to see the orange zub peaking out under his signature santa claus streetwear [foto by angela dawn photography] while playing tombone. you can still catch him playing, so look for shows the following dates and cities.
Michna with Raw Paw live
3/27 Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub*
3/28 Tampa, FL @ The Honey Pot*
3/29 Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live*
3/30 Knoxville, TN @ World Grotto*
3/31 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In*
4/1 Tuscaloosa, AL @ Mellow Mushroom*
4/2 Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco*
4/3 Athens, GA @ Tasty World*
4/4 Brooklyn, NY (DJ Set) @ Brooklyn Museum
5/23 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
6/18 Barcelona, Spain @ Sonar Festival
*with Eliot Lipp

deastro deastro deastro: deastro plays his very first NYC date this weekend, tonight and tomorrow night at cake shop and will release his new album. moondagger soon. news on that here. remember, you get a free copy of deastro's keepers when you buy a nooka on our e-store here.

nooka michna/adrian wears available at fine stores in your town and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nooka_ on twitter.

a nooka on style dot com

a nooka on style dot com. original post here. click through all the watches in the feature to get to ours.

nooka featured available at fine stores in your town and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nooka_ on twitter.

nooka creative x-change: james liu

recognizing that creative people find inspiration from multiple sources, matthew waldman conducts mini interviews to hopefully gain insight into the creative processes of the artists he meets.

this installment is with james liu of veggiesomething! thanks james!

please provide a small bio on yourself?
Born in Pingtung, Taiwan and based out of Chicago, Illinois, Veggiesomething has loved art and design for as long as he can remember. His artworks have been seen throughout the world via numerous art shows and exhibits and have been featured in various publications and media outlets.

Thus far, Veggiesomething has created four character lines (FIZZIEFUZZIE, House of Liu, United by Destruction!, and Sugar Bandits) and one lifestyle concept label (Killerslayer). These creative endeavors often highlight his love for modular designs that are bold, clean, clear, and concise.

can you tell me what motivates you to create your products?
Like other designers, my initial motivation for creating a product is to solve a problem. The problem can be big, or it can be small. Regardless, there is usually at least a general purpose to what we do. And in the process of that problem solving, challenges will pop up. The potential of overcoming those challenges and seeing the final product in use are usually my biggest motivators.

what are some of your influences and inspirations?
I'm heavily influenced and inspired by everyday life. There are a lot of different "scenes" that I'm interested in, and I love to take elements of inspiration from one scene and apply them to another scene. For instance, I'm heavily influenced by the punk scene after having been involved in it via things like doing a zine, being in bands, etc. for so many years. I carried that punk DIY ethic and that energy into almost every design that I do. The influence may not be prominent due to the demands of the design, but it's always there.

what does nooka mean to you?
To me, Nooka means living the independent spirit. Everything from the design to the concept to the entrepreneurship of the watch exemplify that spirit. Every time that I look down at my Nooka watch, I'm reminded of that spirit and it makes me want to pursue it in my own way.

the nooka james is wearing in this foto available at fine stores and here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. nooka_ on twitter.

tokyo toy report

as my apartment and office in nyc is full of stuff, every trip to tokyo i make an internal promise not to buy anymore toys. well...i bought just a few last week and i have a justification for each of them. here is a short summary:

1. rilakkuma hang toy: rilakkuma [a contraction of relax+kuma (kuma=bear)] is the latest hit character from san-x, the studio that brought the world my all-time fave, afro-ken. justification: design reference for the nookanooka™ project AND too cute not to spend ¥300 on it.

2. genevieve gauckler bearbrick 400% + 100% set: i love genevieve's work and medicom toy products. justification: found it on-sale for ¥1000 per set, so i bought 2!

3. anna sui bearbrick with mini strap: another in the series of fashion label bearbricks. justification: found it on sale for ¥315! so i bought 4 sets – makes good souvenirs.

4. CP coupling figure vol2: have no idea where this is from, but the box was so small and only ¥200. justification: curiosity. amazing detail in this tiny tiny figure.

5. tsuburaya soko gacha-box toy: original ultraman based toy. these are made by bandai so i knew the quality would be superb. i was lucky to get the totasu-go car. justification: affordable quality. great small display piece for my office desk.

6. ishimori pro X pansonworks collab figures: the cuteness of panson's robin meets the serious crime fighting world of kanmen rider. justification: an excellent example of how interesting a collaboration can go. very cute.

7. petite "minna de gohan" [let's eat together] series: the detail in these doll-house food/meal miniatures is amazing. justification: to study what can be done in terms of detail with a mold and deco for plastic goods.

8. 220 works chara-keshi [character eraser]: these are pencil eraser versions of a famous japanese comic series. justification: materials research.

9. ultraman X touma figure: friend and urban vinyl giant touma re-works classic ultraman characters – the result is amazing for a ¥500 figure. justification: it's good to support the work of your friends AND also an interesting study in collaborative process.

overall...a lot of fun and great design inspiration for me and the whole nooka studio.

nooka including noo spring colors are now available at fine stores and here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. nooka_ on twitter.

nooka sightings: towa tei

i am back from a week in tokyo, and that means more blog entries!

towa tei was kind enough to send us a foto sporting his new black zirc night version via mutual friend miho hatori – thanks miho!
i think it matches his style as one can see from the photo. this zirc is available at fine stores all over the world, or here on our own online store. you can get towa tei's newest release from itunes here.

join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook and follow nooka_ on twitter.

nooka's all over vogue: april issue!

i'm still in tokyo, but had to blog about this nooz from NYC: wow wow wow! there are 4 different nookas in the april issue of US VOGUE! beyonce on the cover, and the nookas on the top model Daria Weborwy....who can ask for more.

thanks to the editors at vogue, stylist, Edward Ennifu, and photographers Mert & Marcus for the great feature, especially for the zon which is our newest model.

nooka including the zon featured are now available at fine stores and here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. nooka_ on twitter.

matthew waldman in tokyo.

it is that time of year again, when plum blossoms bloom and the first brave crocus raises its turgid shaft – yes, tax time – so i am here in tokyo japan to review our books before submitting to the taxman! but it's not as dire as it may read, i've made this more a vacation than a business trip as there are no trade shows or new products to launch.

only 3 days and already packed a lot in: dinner with nooka tokyo staff, visited my friends of hirocoledge at their one week pop-up shop in isetan [really amazing stuff, you should check it out as they are currently negotiating for US distribution. their site here], gave my boyfriend and my friend ilisa a private tour of the yoyogi national stadium [took a lot of energy to turn my charm on in japanese as they don't allow people to enter when events are booked!], dinners with friends and almost a full day at the yurakucho muji honten!

photos top to bottom:
tange's triumphant yoyogi national stadium with natural light poring through the ceiling,
the cable room at the base of the stadium,
portrait with hiroko and yusuke at isetan [notice her lovely nooka watch and ignore yusuke making a face]

nooka including noo spring colors are now available at fine stores and here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. nooka_ on twitter.

more on kenzo tange here.

nooka cockoo is all-a-buzz: updated

i started getting emails from all over the world on tuesday when this post first sprung up on yanko.com – original post can be viewed here. some people wanted to know if i had seen this and others were concerned about legal issues. well, to answer the emails here: no, i did not know about it, and as for laws being broken, my understanding is that this is one of those grey areas. it is illegal to use someone's logo for unauthorized business purposes, and indeed, this is unauthorized. that said, it is legal to use other companies logos for editorial purposes, and perhaps creating a portfolio piece fits into this fair usage. that writ, i am not a lawyer. i guess i am flattered to see that nooka has such a positive image in the world that another designer would choose it as a reference point in a creative exercise. what do you think?

for blogs carrying the story, to be safe, our lawyers recommend the following disclaimer text:
"Nooka" is a registered trademark of Nooka Inc. (all rights reserved) and may not be used without its express written permission. Nooka Inc. has not reviewed and does not endorse any products, concepts or viewpoints expressed on this website, and no business relationship with Nooka Inc. is implied through any use of its trademark.

it's a common issue i think, and found this ad in this month's print magazine – funny as the same designer who did the nooka cockoo watch has a car freshner logo used in a t-shirt design on his own website...



nooka including noo spring colors are now available at fine stores and here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. nooka_ on twitter.

nooka collab: ddc lab

Nooka Inc. and fashion retailer DDCLAB have come together to create a truly unique collaborative watch to be released in March 2009. DDCLAB’s design studio, DDC USA, has released a custom, silver reflective fabric as a part of its 2008-2009 fashion line. This custom fabric is used on the band of the watch, stitched with a bright red; the watch is also equipped with Nooka’s ZOT Classic Night face. Limited quantities of the collaboration will be available. DDCLAB is a unique fashion brand which carries innovative, technologically conscious clothing and accessories. The store was launched in 1998 by Roberto Crivello and Savania Davies-Keiller, owners of the exclusive design Studio DDC USA. Known for strength in fabric coursing and the ability to earmark technologies that are new to the market as well as those that are not even on radar, DDC USA works very closely with mills to develop and build upon innovative technologies. DDCLAB’s style is simple yet modern and futuristic, with an emphasis on technology and materials. With two stores currently in New York City, DDCLAB and Nooka proudly share a close relationship as well as shared design concepts and values.

only 100 pieces produced, and available exclusively at ddclab for a short time.

all other models and noo spring colors are now available at ddclab and on our e-store here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook.

press press online and off

here is some press i was made aware of today, the W online magazine for the aluminum blue zot and BPM magazine for the zon. both pretty cool prominent placements thanks to my wonderful PR team and the savvy editors at W and BPM. original post for W is here, and pick up BPM at your local magazine shop, march issue.

all models and noo spring colors are now available at fine stores and on our e-store here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook.

nooka sightings: korea

nooka has a pretty good presence on korean television [thank you kelly in seoul!]. here are some screen captures from korea:

1. Shin Jung Hwan (singer/ Entertainer)

2. Tablo (rapper)

3. Tablo (rapper)

4. Kim Shin Young (comedian)

5. Jee Hyun Woo (actor)

6. Kim Hyun Joong (singer/actor)

product plug: all models and noo spring colors are now available at fine stores and on our e-store here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook.

swiss miss creative mornings: matthew waldman

2/27/09 Matthew Waldman from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

i almost didn't publish this, but i guess a lot of people can't stand the way they sound recorded [not to mention the way one looks!]. so let's just say that looking at this hits on all of my insecurities. that writ, the response has been quite positive, so i'll let the webworld be the judge.

special thanks to tina roth of swiss miss, here amazing blog here, and parson's who donated the space. public speaking is really a wonderful way to test out ideas and thought processes so i really appreciate the opportunity tina presented.

product plug: noo spring colors are now available! at fine stores and on our e-store here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. as readership on my blog is down, i will invoke the power of the words sex, britney spears, and rihanna in this sentence. nooka_ on twitter.

our first nookanooka competition

we conducted a artist competition for our nookanooka where you can vote for the best one submitted by the stores. this is not to be confused with upcoming artist competitions we will be doing this year with the nookanooka. so please check it out and give it a vote! the competition website is here. thanks to all the retailers and their entries!

nooka sightings: rocko da don

rocko da don photographed at straights restaurant in atlanta on march 4th [or could br march 3rd]. thanks to cooknice for the sighting on another blog. nooka rocko is wearing availble in fine shops and here. join Nooka and Love Nooka on facebook.

noo spring colors are now available!

noo spring colors are now available! at fine stores that thought ahead and on our e-store here. join "nooka" and "love nooka" on facebook. as readership on my blog is down, i will invoke the power of the words sex, britney spears, and rihanna in this sentence.