valentine mix cd’s

This is Jenny’s mix for the Urban Outfitters Inc. Home Office CD exchange. Jenny works in Wholesale Operations for FP. Here’s a little note from Jenny.
“No, no theme. I was originally going to be all dark and bitter so as to have the Valentine’s day theme be ironic, but then I figured there was enough irony around Urban Outfitters Inc., so I just picked love-themed favs.
The track I left off was Rufus Wrainwright’s “Hallelujah,” although I’m still trying to figure out of I could put the Miracles’ “You Really Got a Hold on Me” (you might remember this song from early 80’s Sesame Street videos where Lionel Ritchie(?) sang it with a Muppet long on arms).
Also, as far as cover art goes, I did a Google image search on the first track and this is what came up. It’s from this chick’s blog zazazu.wordpress.com So I’ll probably do a black and white version, since I have a BW laser printer and am too lazy to find a solution to the color problem. “
1. Wishing and Hoping: Ani Difranco
2. To Bring You My Love: PJ Harvey
3. Valentine: Old 97’s
4. Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for your Eyes: Kristin Andreassen
5. Day Like Any: Feist
6. Mama You Been on My Mind: Bob Dylan featuring Joan Baez
7. Laisse Tomber Les Filles: April March
8. I Told her Lies: Robbie Faulks
9. What Kind of Man are You?: Ray Charles
10. Death of Me: Tony Lucca
11. Don’t Speak: Leela James
12. Sinnerman: Nina Simone
13. Apologize: Timbaland
14. I Believe in a Thing Called Love: The Darkness
15. Ain’t No Other Man: Christina Aguilara
16. Just a Thought: Gnarls Barkley
17. With or Without You: U2
18. Just Friends: Wilco
19. Addicted to Love: Robert Palmer
20. I Know What Boys Like: The Waitresses

valentine mix cd’s

Urban Outfitters organized a Valentine Mix CD Swap here among home office employees across the three brands (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People). Over the next two weeks, I’m going to feature some of the mixes made by people in the FP home office.
This is the first mix made by Kelly. She works in the Wholesale Customer Service Department. Her mix is called B-Mine, love songs by artists with the letter B. Here’s her playlist…
Heaven is a place on earth Belinda Carlisle
Boys Britney Spears
Crimson and clover Blondie
Venus as a boy Bjork
Two of us Beatles
I want you Bob Dylan
I send my love to you Bonnie Prince Billy
Promise Butch Walker
Change of heart Beck
Shot through the heart Bon Jovi
Cradle of love Billy Idol
Orgasm addict Buzzcocks
Who was in my room Butthole Surfers
Girls Beastie Boys
Just a friend Biz Markie
Don’t phunk with my heart Black Eyed Peas

learning to love you more

Learning to Love You More is a project by artists Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher. I had heard of the project before, but never really knew what it was about until this weekend. Miranda and Harrell have created this list of assignments intended to guide people toward their own experiences. In the book version of the collections, they talked about how, as artists, your life is all about creating. These artists realized that it was precisely in the moments of letting those thoughts of creation go, that they truly had these meaningful experiences.
The other thing I like about this project, is that so many of the assignments relate to childhood. We wouldn’t need these kinds of assignments as children, because we thought of this kind of stuff all the time and were just free to do it. As adults I think we forget that we have that freedom. So here are a few of my favorite assignments. Check out the website and the book, and do some of the assignments on your own.
10. Make a flier of your day.
15. Hang a windchime on a tree in a parking lot.
27. Take a picture of the sun.
33. Braid someone’s hair.
39. Take a picture of your parents kissing.

we the free

Natalie commented on the January catalog post asking what the deal is with the We the Free product featured in the new book. We the Free knit line is an eclectic collection of tops, t-shirts, and heavy weight styles that features relaxed fits, superior fabric quality and washes, and thoughtful artwork. We the Free offers a rare combination of the newest print techniques pared with both classic and edgy graphics, applique, hand embroidery, and rugged trimmings. We hope this collection will charm you with its special details and unique sensibility.
Basically, this is a new line of high end knits with amazing fabrics, art, dye and print techniques. The aesthetic is a little bit more tough and boy inspired. So what do you think???
See all We the Free product here

january catalog

Our January catalog drops today! The collection was inspired by Spain and we shot it in Mexico. It was shot in 2 locations near merida, mexico…
The first was a restaurant owned by a lebanese man who’s lived in and ran
the same restaurant for over 40 years…the second was a hacienda refurbished by our production scout and her husband, which is out in the countryside…complete with horses, dogs, chickens, baby boars (and an unexpected tarantula)!
Check it out online and watch the behind the scenes video… The music is a song called “Rector Street” by Levy.

cardboard carpets

wendyplomp.jpgBloesem. Designer Wendy Plomp titled them “message in a box”. Here is a description from Louise Schouwenberg of Domus magazine.
Cardboard is probably the cheapest industrial packaging material available on the market. Any image that is printed onto this typically throwaway material can turn into a streetwise design object; something that can have a glorious second life if left to the street where it can be spontaneously employed in new applications.
For instance, it could be reborn as a disposable carpet that could instantly provide you with a clean space wherever you are, almost like a home.
To prolong the lifespan and usefulness of boxes, informative messages or ornate arabesque patterns reminiscent of precious carpets could be printed on the inside surfaces. An example could be the food parcels dropped in disaster areas; this unexploited space could be used to provide valuable information which, especially in those conditions, might be enormously helpful.

sales samples!


Today the Free People design team received the sales samples for the end of summer and fall. This is the first time the designers see their creations as they will look when you see them at the store. This is after a long process of hand made samples, drawings, fittings and revisions. Still ahead there will be meetings with even more revisions and changes to get down to the most amazing pieces for the final line. Hope you like them just as much as our designers do when they hit the stores!

crochet trees!

We got some comments asking for more details of our giant crochet tree display. Here you go! This is the prototype tree our display team made in their workspace at the home office.
The visual team crochetters worked from the top down, starting with a styrofoam ball, crochetting around it and then down, connecting to big rings as we went. Then we crochetted garland to drape on the tree, and crochetted around little styrofoam balls to be “ornaments.” Then we had to chop the rings in quarters, folded the tree up, and sent it to india to be reproduced. As you can see from the pictures of the final one in the stores, they’re all a little different. But it looks great and is a wonderful handmade treasure.