New Bound and Chi-Chi Colors/Sizes!

Above is our new Bound all natural hand mirror. We made three of these for Bird several weeks ago on special order and liked them so much that we decided to add them to our online shop.

Above and in the two below images are our new Chi-Chi, Fat Strand necklaces (modeled nicely below by our intern Claire) that we are now offering in yellow and green. They are $36.00 and can be found in our online shop.

And finally, we now have Chi-Chi, 3 Strand Yellow necklaces. We originally made these on special order for The Whitney Museum Store and now they are available in our online shop as well.

New Intern!

Hello, I'm Claire, Grain's very first intern! I am currently studying at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA where I have the freedom to design my own major, with an interdisciplinary approach, between the fields of fibers, textiles and sustainable business practices.

I came across Chelsea and James' work last year and was so inspired by their craftsmanship, creativity, and commitment to sustainability. They are a shining example of what I'd like to be doing down the road, and they have been so kind to share their own experiences and learning lessons from their journey, to help me better shape my vision. I'm so lucky to be here!

Vinyl shower curtains are scary!

Matt Hickman posted a great response to the question of why standard PVC shower curtains are so dangerous to our health and environment on the Mother Nature Network yesterday. Here is an excerpt:

"...PVC vinyl shower curtains... contain the infamous and ubiquitous chemical plasticizer, phthalates, and a slew of other toxic chemicals that can easily off-gas in a hot ‘n’ steamy bathroom and pollute the air in your home. In various studies, phthalates have been linked to a myriad of health concerns including genital deformation, abnormal breast development, lowered IQs and ADHD in boys; shortened pregnancies in expectant mothers; and damage to the liver, kidney and reproductive system."

On recyclability he wrote:

"...PVC, a compound of chlorine and petroleum products, is the hardest to recycle of all the plastics and the production of it is highly polluting and releases carcinogenic dioxins into the air."

On safer alternatives he wrote:

"Mercifully, there are numerous alternatives to vinyl shower curtains made from materials like hemp, organic or non-organic cotton, and non-off-gassing EVA plastic, but be warned, you’ll probably have to pay a bit more. But as evidenced above, I think you’d agree it’s worth it. While perfectly acceptable, non-vinyl shower curtains can be found at major retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and Target, I’m a huge fan of Grain’s Ty Shower Curtain that’s made from recyclable, long lasting and breathable — less mold and mildew! — HDPE (#2 plastic). For a couple bucks more, Grain also offers a Ty DIY Edition that comes with a permanent marker for shower curtain doodling."

Thanks Matt!

NwMODERN Installation

Here are a few pics by Scott Kouchi from the installation of NwMODERN that opened in Portland last week. We showed our Bound hand mirrors and Appropriated Series: Bench along with work from Esque Studio, Pigeon Toe Ceramics, Crafted Systems and more.

NwMODERN: The Spirit of Place

We're taking a road trip to Portland next week for the opening of NwModern. Grain will be one of the 60 artists and designers showing work that "reflects the unique spirit of place in the Pacific Northwest" curated by Giovanni Castillo within the context of the classic 1950's Twombly House.

If your in town too, here are the details:

The Twombly House

4449 SW Twombly St.

Portland, OR

Opening: October 15th, 4:00pm - 9:00pm

Open to the Public: October 16th – 28th, 4:00pm - 9:00pm

New Shops!!

We have officially shipped out all our orders from the New York International Gift Fair! Here are a selection of the new shops that will be carrying Grain products:

Lola

Berkley, CA

Spartan

Austin, TX

The Future Perfect

Brooklyn, NY

Guggenheim Museum Store

New York, NY

Ideal

Bellingham, WA

Contemporary Arts Museum Shop

Houston, TX

Stonehouse

St Charles, IL

Sustainable NYC

New York, NY

Lake

Los Angeles, CA

Bird

Brooklyn, NY

Good

Boston, MA

SFMOMA Museum Store

San Francisco, CA

For a full list email shop [at] graindesign.com.