designed by nike's ceo

You've seen this little Be@rbrick in one of my earliest posts. But I'm devoting an entire entry just for it for two reasons:

1. It's my favorite Bearbrick. The edginess, the color palette, the rich and varied textures. Awesome!

2. It's designed by Mark Parker, the Chief Executive Officer of Nike Worldwide. Cool!

After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science at Penn State University in 1977, Parker (left) joined Nike in 1979 as a footwear designer. After 27 years, his visionary leadership (he was the driving force behind Nike Air) has put the company at the forefront of the multibillion dollar sportswear and sports equipment business.

Wow, sounds like one of those guys who kids wanna be when they grow up... a billionaire Be@rbrick designer!

Bearbrick pic by Yours Truly / Copyright March 2013 Bearbrick Love / Mark Parker pic from Wikipedia

the curse of the black kitty

I scare you.

Whenever I cross
your dull daily trail,
your stride slowly stops
and your face turns pale.

In your mind, you surmise
all bad luck will ensue
'coz of this little puss
with the darkest of hue.

In your eyes, I will see
faith weakening so,
courage a-crumblin',
spunk sinking so low.

But I say, 'Why is that?'
'cause all that I've been
is a cat with a coat
of mysterious sheen.

Life's unfair, don't you think
when you're judged by your look;
You're seen more as the cover
and not as the book.

Meowwww!

Darker and rarer, the black Hello Kitty Be@rbrick (top, right) has only 1.5% availability. It's one of six 'Secret' Be@rbricks from Series 13. 'Secret' Be@rbricks are hard-to-get designs that aren't included on the series' publicized list. If you find one, consider yourself very lucky.

(Cat pic from Wikipedia)

hello be@rbrick!

The obsession with toy figures has never been more spirited than it is with Hello Kitty, the Tokyo-born and London-bred kitten with no mouth. Wearing a signature bow near its left ear, Kitty's likeness has appeared on every conceivable retail item: from clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry to pillows, towels, phones, compact disc players, electric guitars, etc.

Not only that – this fab feline has also been linked to a great number of celebs. Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears, Lisa Loeb, and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted sporting Hello Kitty goods.

(Above, right) The pink Hello Kitty Be@rbrick is part of Series 9. Impossibly cute and pink almost to the point of kitsch, it's a cult classic, a definite must-have.

Just like that purr-y purse is to Paris Hilton (left).

(Paris pic from People)

from hardcourt animal to hardwood art

From the Nike Bear Force One Series comes... the Woody Be@rbrick!

Question: 'What does Nike have to do with wood?'

Answer: The wood board pattern represents the hardcourt (usually made of maple), the arena of basketball greats such as Michael Jordan (Nike Air's image model).

Without the usual Nike logo, this bear looks less of the promotional item that it is and more of a wooden pop sculpture. Isn't that more artful? Thanks, Nike. I like it when Be@rbricks aren't too commercialized.

Speaking of ligneous art: My artist friend from New York, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, just showed me her new work – a series of totem pole assemblages (right) made of recycled Philippine wood such as yakal, narra, guijo, and ipil.

Christina has always been interested in old-style architecture, and these 'found' objects gave her the chance to venture into interesting compositional excursions. Life-sized jigsaw puzzles, so to speak. The wooden stairs, banisters, and even wood shutters served as the puzzle pieces.

She's putting them on show this month and I think they'll be a hit.

Knock on wood, Christina! :-)

Postscript: You can catch Christina's art in the Group Show, 'Ara Pacis' (Altars of Peace), which will run from April 20 to May 11, 2007 at the West Gallery, 48 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines. Other featured artists are Popo San Pascual, Mario Fernandez, & Ava Lugtu.

who's who at colette paris

Look at the transparent Be@rbrick on the right.

See the two dogs? They're Caperino and Peperone, two playful and funny canines from Stromboli, Italy who are now making waves in the retail/style scene. Various products based on these two characters are being sold, mostly at the Colette store on Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris. In fact, they are the official mascots of the hip Parisian retailer. This particular Be@rbrick (called the Nike [co]+lab) was designed by Kuntzel + Deygas for Nike Air, exclusively for Colette Paris.

Now, look at the inset on the left.

See that hand holding the Colette plastic bag? That's me, who just bought the 'A Round World' Be@rbricks, a set of 6 which was specially designed for Colette's 10th anniversary.

And finally...

See the guy on the right? That's Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel design chief and Dr. Houdret diet devotee, who I bumped into at Colette Paris! I introduced myself and told him I was a great fan. He smiled modestly, shook my hand and told me, 'Nice shirt!' Of course, I did not bother telling him it was an Armani... :-)

be@rbricks in disguise / part 1

Be@rbricks are so lovable even when they're not being themselves – when designers transform them to other species (from Ape to Zebra) in the most ingenious ways. These are called 'animal' Be@rbricks and there's a one in every series (set of about 18 Be@rbricks) that is released periodically.

One bear cries 'Hoot-hoot-hoot'.
The second sings: 'Tweet-tweet-tweet'.
And the third one croaks, 'Bud-wei-ser'!