 |
 |
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
 |
| |
 |
|
Unity
Bag (Style 1)
Bold details with comfortable wear. |
|
| |
|
| |
Tell us a little
bit about your background? Where are you from originally?
I was born in a Polish community outside of Detroit
and spent the early part of my youth moving from
state to state. My family finally settled in Los
Angeles where I've now spent most of my life. After
high school, I became mesmerized with mixed media
installations and was determined to try my hand
as a sculptor. At the age of 22, I had my first
art exhibition while at the same time starting a
career in advertising. Increasingly, I had less
and less time/energy for art and gradually realized
that I wasn't ready for the constraints of a 40-hour-a-week
job. So on a whim, I sold everything and moved to
London. I ended up living there for almost four
years and was fortunate enough to meet my husband
and design partner, Kyriakos Toyias.
Kyriakos was born and raised in London. Both of
his parents are from Greece so he grew up spending
his summers on the islands. After dabbling in illustration,
he found himself drawn to minimalist design and
ended up getting a degree in interior architecture.
Through his study and dedication to minimalist philosophies,
he was able to work alongside two of the most prominent
minimalist architects in London. It was during this
time that he cultivated a strong design sense that
has become an integral component to Silent Revolution's
philosophy. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Transport
Laptop Bag (Style 2)
Designed to be modernist alternative to traditional
briefcase/laptop bag. |
|
| |
|
| |
How did you
get into the realm of fashion? How did you and your
husband start out designing bags?
As with most young girls, I was always drawn to
fashion. Cutting dresses out of magazines for my
paper dolls slowly evolved into my making or altering
most of the clothes that I wore throughout high
school. But, at the time, I was actually more interested
in sculpture than I was in designing so I never
seriously considered a career in fashion. It wasn't
until I returned to sculpture years later that I
"accidentally" found myself back in fashion design.
At the time, I was experimenting with making objects
out of unusual textiles. I spent most of my time
in the aisles of home improvement stores rather
than in fabric stores. One of my earliest experiments
was to make a messenger bag entirely out of Astroturf.
From there, I made bags out of aluminum window screen,
bubble wrap, recycled plastic bags, etc. –
essentially anything I could get my hands on. And
as with most handbag companies, one thing led to
another. I was carrying my bag, a friend liked it
and ordered one, and then a friend's friend ordered
one, and so it began. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Tektonik
Laptop Bag (Style 2)
Designed to be modernist alternative to traditional
briefcase/laptop bag. |
|
| |
|
| |
How did you
come up with your company name "Silent Revolution"?
After moving back to the States, we wanted to start
building our new life together so I decided to go
back into the field that I was most familiar with
– advertising. Several years went by and I
slowly started feeling myself fade away. As with
all of us who either are or have been stuck in Corporate
America, there's nothing worse than feeling suffocated
in a dead end job with no hope or inspiration in
sight. In order to maintain balance in my life,
I got back into sculpture with a fervor, which is
when the first bags started happening. As excitement
and enthusiasm grew for my initial designs, I decided
to stage a revolution of my own – to revolt,
if you will, against the system that I found myself
stuck in. I knew that I couldn't live as a cog in
the wheel much longer and that if anything was going
to change, I would have to be the one to make it
happen. So, Kyriakos and I called a meeting between
ourselves (and our two cats!). We realized that
there was a hole in the marketplace for accessories
that reflected our design sensibilities so we decided
to take a chance and devote our time and resources
into this new found venture.
Hence, "Silent Revolution" was born. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Hybrid
Record (Style 2)
Designed to be durable urban record, laptop,
overnite, and/or carry-on bag. |
|
| |
|
| |
The style of
your work seems to have hints of modern and street
mixed in with clean sophistication. Would you say
these elements are what influence your work?
When we first started designing, we were working
from the gut. We never sat down intending to combine
modern architecture/design with urban streetwear.
But as our designs evolved, these two worlds that
are so much a part of our life simply came together.
Through our love of modern architecture and modern
design, we have been tremendously inspired by the
architectural works of Zaha
Hadid, by the clean and simple designs of Donald
Judd, and by the bold use of light and color
by James
Turrell. All three artists keep us continually
inspired through their unique and innovative use
of structure, design and color.
The streetwear angle comes through because of our
love of electronic music. When we first heard the
album "Kid A" by Radiohead,
it was really the first time we started thinking
of music in terms of textures. Every experimental
sound, every electronic beat seemed to have its
own frequency and energy. And it was this kind of
clean yet vivid soundscape that we wanted to translate
into our bags.
So, by utilizing the design elements from our favorite
artists and combining them with the energy from
the music we love, our goal has been to create bags
that have bold yet simple use of color in addition
to a design edge that reflects the digital age in
which we live. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Hydro
Bag (Style 3)
Utilitarian pouch with futuristic stylings.
Designed to be worn around the hips, across
the back, or over the shoulder. |
|
| |
|
| |
Every piece
in your collection is made by hand. What is the
process of crafting one of your Hydro Bags, for
example? How long does it take?
The hardest thing about constructing one of our
bags is not so much the time it takes to actually
make a piece (production sewing is the easy part)
– but rather, the time it takes in prototyping
to get a perfect product.
As soon as you have a good bag design, you want
to run with it. Our lives would be so much easier
if we could design a bag, sew it, and voilą –
it was perfect and ready to be sold. But I think
any artist can attest to the fact that every creation
has its own energy and its own identity. What looks
like a great idea on paper, is a very different
animal in real life.
Because we really do design our bags for daily urban
wear, we want to make sure they hang right, feel
right, sit right, etc. We want to make sure the
fabric is durable, doesn't get dirty too quickly,
is waterproof, is easy to clean, etc. – while
at the same time maintaining our very specific design
ethos. So each bag goes through weeks if not months
of prototyping until we get the design and look
that we want. Prototyping is a particularly painful
process, especially with our more complex designs.
But in the end when you finally have the bag that
you dreamed of – it's all worth it! |
| |
|
| |
|
|
Linear
Clutch (Style 4)
Minimalist design and sleek shape.
Combines sophisticated edge with
modern femininity. |
|
| |
|
| |
We noticed there
is a crossover between graphic design and fashion
design. How do you connect the two in your collection?
Graphic design has definitely influenced us and
that influence has ranged from architectural graphics
to illustrators such as Moebius. Both Kyriakos and
myself really respond to sleek design and wanted
to embody the elements of good graphic design into
our bags.
Our goal has been to bring graphic design forward
– "off the paper" so to speak – to create
harmonious flowing lines and sculptural compositions
that are elements usually found in the world of
two-dimensional design. By implementing these 2-D
design concepts into three-dimensional objects,
we wanted to create unusual shapes with a certain
sense of fun that people could enjoy carrying while
at the same time enabling them to express their
design sensibilities. By combining versatile shapes
with a bold yet simple use of color, we hope to
maintain the same artistic integrity in our bags
that one finds in graphic design. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Odyssey
Bag (Style 1)
Sleek minimal look w/sculptural details. |
|
| |
|
| |
What has been
the most rewarding product you have designed? Why?
Without a doubt, the bag I am most proud of is the
"Odyssey Bag" (inspired by Kubrick's 2001: A Space
Odyssey – hence the name). I had recently come
across some reclaimed truck tarp that I thought
was simply beautiful. It was clear with a kind of
threaded grid sewn into the clear plastic itself.
I had it sitting in my studio for ages but wasn't
quite sure what to do with it. One night while sitting
at my sewing machine at 3am (I do all my best work
in the wee hours), I had the idea to try laying
some thread down underneath the grid and stitching
it down onto white fabric. I made a panel and then
went to bed. When I woke up the next day, I was
thrilled to see what I had created. The new "Odyssey"
design element allowed me to use my skills as a
sculptor while at the same time providing us with
the clean modern design look that inspires us most.
I was in love. To this day, it is the bag that I
feel best embodies the design principles and energy
behind Silent Revolution. |
| |
|
| |
 |
|
Ammo
Bag (Style 1)
Ideal for clubbing or everyday wear. Designed
to be worn around the hips, across the back,
or over the shoulder. |
|
| |
|
| |
What advice
can you give to those who are trying to break into
the fashion industry?
First and foremost, whether you're trying to break
into fashion or any other creative industry –
you have to be committed to your designs and to
what you're doing. You have to love it – deep
in your gut, dare I say deep in your soul, because
it's not going to be an easy road. Starting a small
business, especially with sewn goods, is extremely
challenging – especially when we live in a
society addicted to consuming cheap goods. There
are going to be many hurdles and many tough times
and you're going to get knocked down. You're going
to feel defeated and as if the fight simply isn't
worth it – but let me tell you...it is. I can't
even begin to list all the occasions when we thought
about giving up. But we persevered and kept pushing
forward and the rewards have been amazing! We never
gave up belief in ourselves or in our designs. We
still have a long road ahead but we've already reached
a higher level of success than we ever thought possible.
You have to really dedicate yourself to your passion
and never look back. I think the glamour can mislead
people. True glamour comes when you know you've
done your best and you know you've given it your
all. So be prepared to get your hands dirty. |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
