What Women Make

Print Turns to Pixels Series: She’s a Literary Agent and a Bookshop Owner

What Women Make Interviews London-based Literary Agent and Bookshop Owner Felicity Rubinstein.

Felicity Rubinstein and partner Sarah Lutyens were colleagues at two publishing houses and partners as literary agents for sixteen years before deciding to open a bookstore in the north end of Notting Hill, a shop which has several times been praised as one of the loveliest in London. Being both retailers and longtime literary agents makes them ideal interview subjects for women in all kinds of creative businesses; They are creative entrepreneurs in a tough economy and their business of choice is in an industry that is in peril but also one with fierce loyalists who want to retain this most sacred of cultural experiences. I asked Felicity to share her thoughts about agenting and owning an independent bookshop in an era of such tremendous change.

It turns out that their decision and the timing of the store was not a stance against digital books or chain stores like Waterstones (The U.K.’s Barnes & Nobles) or Borders or WH Smith (which she spoke highly of), nor did it have anything to do with the marketshare taken by Amazon. “We’d been talking about opening a bookshop for a long time. It just finally happened to come together in 2009.”

Between then and now, the popularity of digital books has moved so fast and still there’s no way to determine what will happen in either digital publishing or the bookseller landscape in the months and years to come. Still, like all good small business owners – and all writers actually who are endlessly told ‘write what you know’ – she expressed great passion for her neighborhood, an area she’s lived in her whole life, and one where she has an intimate knowledge of the market.

They saw a gap and filled it: “North Notting Hill is a highly literate area. We were sure the neighborhood would appreciate a place to buy books you wouldn’t find in a supermarket.” Felicity feels that everyone in the book business harbors a fantasy of owning a bookshop. “It’s a bit like all children wanting to own a sweet shop.” (a candy store in ‘American’.)

I personally don’t want to imagine a world without aisles of books – the smell of fresh paper, a quiet public space to browse and discover – and she doesn’t think it has to be one or the other. “The curated experience at the heart of forward-thinking retail and that’s what we offer. Change is in the air and people are frightened of change. New developments are happening very, very fast. We don’t sell digital books in our stores, clearly, but we do work on digital royalties as agents. These are exciting and scary times. One of the best things I’ve noticed is that kids are reading more than ever. If reading is on the rise in children, we feel very encouraged.”

It’s clear that their love of agenting hasn’t ebbed. In their mid-30s, both working in publishing they realized that there were very few agents their age. “Most agents at the time were half a generation older than us. We felt we’d gone as far as we could in publishing and wanted to do something new and there’s still nothing like taking on a new author and announcing that their life is going to change because their book has been accepted for publication.”

Each day, Felicity Rubinstein and Sarah Lutyens walk downstairs, slide open a wall of books in the back of the store, and enter their offices where they go to work for their writers. The day-to-day decisions in the bookshop are trusted to their full time staff. Sometimes at lunch and on weekends they’ll go behind the counter “because if you have a job that involves sitting on your bottom all day answering the phone, it’s nice to get up and talk to people in the shop,” she says laughing, but she’s adamant that their day jobs as agents are as busy as ever.

The two roles compliment one another. As agents, they have to take on authors they think they can sell but “as booksellers, we recommend books that we’d give to a friend or ask our mothers to read and we can sell books that were published any time in the last 200 years.’ The balance keeps them inspired and excited – and that’s what the energy of change is all about.

Q & A

What would you say to female writers looking to the future of the publishing industry?

Keep writing!

3-10 female living authors whose books you love

Jennifer Egan – A Visit From the Goon Squad
Cressida Connolly – My Former Heart
Melissa Bank – The Wonder Spot
Mary Lawson – The Other Side of the Bridge
Emma Forrest – Your Voice in My Head
Claire Messud – The Emperors Children
Gabrielle Hamilton – Blood, Bones & Butter

Visit:
Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop
21 Kensington Park Road
London, W11 2EU
Tube: Ladbroke Grove

(I thought this would be a great time to post this as I run out to go here Joan Didion speak at the Peter Jay Sharpe theater…)

Thursday • December 1, 2011 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Blog, Cities, Felicity Rubinstein, Interviews, Publishing, Retail, Topical Thursday, U.K., Writers

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The Paris Atelier in 2011: WWM Speaks with Matieres a Reflexion

Matières à réflexion in Paris is a wonderful example of the Paris atelier in the modern context, a place that combines process, discovery, craftsmanship and human interaction in a single experience. What Women Make speaks with designer Laetitia Azpiroz and partner Cyrille Raillet about their work and their philosophy.

A Show Love production. Show Love is a brand new social content service for lovable companies. Learn what we mean by lovable companies and our approach to content in our press release post and see more of our work at www.showloveworld.com

Don’t forget to visit www.matieresareflexion.com to see other bags and accessories and view their most recent collection.

Wednesday • November 2, 2011 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Blog, Designers, Fabric, Fashion, France, Interviews, Leather, Materials, Retail, Sustainable, Textiles, Topical Thursday, Videos

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Introducing Our New Design Thinking Contributor, Kristina Drury of TYTHEDesign

I’d like to welcome Kristina Drury who will be talking to you on the 2nd Wednesday of every month about design thinking. She will introduce you to design thinking in her next post and from there on out, help you to solve challenges in your business and creativity using this methodology. We thought WWM could use an infusion of how-to about the topic of design research – which endlessly fascinates me – so I invited Kristina to help out. Luckily, she was happy to oblige so without further ado…
- Chauncey

Article written by Kristina Drury – founder of TYTHEdesign

Lately, the term ‘design thinking’ has become quite a catch phrase. You hear about companies using it to tackle challenges, meet the needs of customers, even re-brand whole countries. Through my posts on whatwomenmake.com, I’m going to show you design thinking techniques that can be put to use to by designers and non-designers alike to aid in any organization or project. I’d like to be resource for those of us in the female entrepreneur community.

A bit about me…. I am a passionate social and environmental designer. I began TYTHEdesign in 2010 after working in the social sector where I observed organizations struggling with challenges that sprung from unsuitable structures and/or inefficient communication strategies. After working with these groups, I saw that they benefited from a design-based approach. I felt it was important to use my skills to make a positive impact for the greater good. Working with non-profits and social ventures, we support their communication and organizational needs.

mobile soup kitchen (RV) operating in Brooklyn

spatial organization and the design at the service window of a mobile soup kitchen (RV) in Brooklyn

Over the past year we have been fortunate enough to work with some great organizations including TEDxBrooklyn, Cleargreeen Advisors, SSBx (Sustainable South Bronx), and Crop to Cup. We’ve also designed organizational efficiency systems for a mobile soup kitchen, developed a life skills training program for women in a family shelter, and now we’re developing an after school program teaching life skills through entrepreneurship in the South Bronx. Here are some more of our recent case studies so you can see all the details.

Prior to that, I was the New York Chapter Head for Project H Design, a charitable organization focusing on product design for social change. I was one of the lead designers of one of their programs called Learning Landscape. It was an educational, active learning playground, built in locations from Tanzania to Mexico. It was featured at Cooper Hewitt’s 2010 National Design Triennial. I worked also as the Assistant Director at the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, in the consulting wing of an organization that looks to support and grow social/environmental enterprises. We worked with with clients like UNESCO, WestElm and Starbucks and a series of small non-profits and entrepreneurs.

Look for my first tips on the second Wednesday of every month!

—-
KRISTINA DRURY is an expert in design thinking and the Executive Director of TYTHEdesign, a consultancy serving the social sector based in New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from McGill University and a Master’s in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute. Feel free to contact her if you have questions at all! She’s here to help.

Thursday • August 11, 2011 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Design Thinking, Interviews, Kristina Drury

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What Women Make Presents: Japanese Illustrator Yoko Furusho

JULY 30 & 31 – Yoko Furusho is a New York based illustrator from Tokyo who, in her short career has already designed for brands such as Keds and Maybelline, agencies Lowe and TBWA, and magazines as diverse as Amelia’s Magazine to Princeton Architectural Press. She has had group shows and solo shows and is now working on a children’s book / iPad app and a charity project to help victims of the Japan earthquake among a million other things.

She was invited to show her work at traditional Japanese store, Ikiru, located in the heart of the Born neighborhood of Barcelona. She offered to come in person to do a live painting in their window – to the utter delight of the store’s dynamic press officer and the owner. We followed Yoko’s progress over the course of the weekend interviewing her about her inspiration, mesmerizing color palette, and the meaning behind her dream-like fairytales.

accompanying an article about Japanese people who come to New York

fine art installation pieces by Yoko Furusho

Go to Show Love to see more gorgeous videos, part of a collaboration between WWM founder and partner videographer, Peter Crosby to bring social content of the highest order to the best organizations and businesses out there.

Thursday • August 4, 2011 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Barcelona, Blog, Design Mix, Illustration, Interviews, Japan, New York, Videos, Yoko Furusho

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3D Designer: PAULINE VAN DONGEN

Pauline van Dongen was born in Amsterdam in 1986 and had a childhood filled with art and music attending an arts conservatory at the age 15. In 2004 she was accepted into ArtEZ, the academy of arts in Arnhem. It was there that she first developed an interest in the French method of pattern drafting called “moulage” (which literally translated means ‘mold’). As she explored surfaces and textures, she began screen printing silk jersey with puff ink applying heat to the fabric. During this process, she discovered that the ink expanded and pulled the fabric into a resilient and flexible plissé. Draping the luscious material onto the body, voluminous shapes began to emerge. Her graduation collection, Sibylle, was inspired by body language and the stories she could tell with her textile creation. In 2008, she went on to the Masters Program at the Fashion Institute of Arnhem. During a shoe design course there, she discovered a love for product design and 3D printing. Innovations in 3D gave her the opportunity to translate the sculptural feel of her garments into a rigid polyamide that maintained the organic lines she so loved. The outcome are these striking shoes lend a futuristic look and feel to her overall collection which includes clothes and jewelry.

In 2010, her Vertigo shoes won the Sacha Golden Heel Award.
Her graduation collection Morphogenesis was awarded ‘most creative collection’ by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana at Mittelmoda, the Fashion Awards in Italy.
She’s also been selected as one of ten finalists at the Belgian fashion award to be held on October 20th.

Tactility, texture and no-frills modernity are the essence of Pauline’s work. As she continues to explore the use of new and unconventional materials, she says she’s creating “a proposal for the future.” At what women make, we quite agree.

PAULINE’S STORE-Y

THE INTERVIEW

wwm: Who wears a Pauline Van Dongen shoe or dress? (Who do you see being your customer?)
PVD: I design for a woman who lives in the present. Her vision is open-minded and she thinks about today, but she also has a vision and an eye for the future. She is naturally cool and radiates a relaxed elegance. My customer appreciates the tactility and no-frills modernity of my designs.
She is not concerned with the clothing shaping the body in a pre-determined mold. I prefer the idea that the body is what gives the clothes a certain volume, creating an organic and sculptural shape. I give the wearer a sense of this freedom in my clothes, which makes it a pleasure to wear.

wwm: Name three of your favorite items you own and how they speak to your aesthetic.
PVD: 1. A ring made from a shell, which I like because of it’s natural sculptural aesthetic. 2. A prism, because I’m fascinated by light and the refraction of light. 3. A PET bottle made of glass, I like it’s simplicity very much.

wwm: You talk about the future in your bio. How do you see the future of constructing clothes, let’s say 10 years from now? What part in that will you play?
PVD: I think in the future the construction of clothes will become more personalized. For instance with my Morphogenesis shoe, it’s not hard to imagine that we would make a 3D scan of someones foot and adjust the 3D file of the shoe, so it will have a perfect individual fit. Also there will be new technologies that provide new ways to make and finish a garment individually. For instance, seams won’t always be sewn – they may be glued or fused together. We will create garments that ‘grow’. You can find research on this subject at www.biocouture.co.uk. Textile design and technology will increasingly merge and I hope to play a part in this development.

wwm: Any characters from movies or books influence your work? If so, who?
PVD: For me it’s mostly the atmosphere of a movie that triggers me. A certain mood can influence my work. Recently I saw a documentary about the artist Olafur Eliasson (Space Is Process, 2010) which was very inspiring. The way he talks about spatial research is very intriguing. I also really like the way, for example, fiction and reality get blurred in the movie ‘The Fall’ (2006). At the moment I’m looking forward to seeing ‘I Am Love’ with Tilda Swinton.

wwm: You say you feel you’ve been freed from all boundaries due to advances in technology, what’s your favorite innovation in fashion and how does it work?
PVD: I really like innovation because it advances our concept of what fashion is or could be. At this point I’m very fascinated by 3D printing. Maybe in the future it will be possible to print out a whole dress. I’m also interested in interactive fashion. Clothing that incorporates movement or react to the environment. A designer who I recently visited in Montreal, Ying Gao, works with these concepts a lot and she does amazing things with it! My interest always begins with the material so I’m always looking for new textile technology. There is so much going on right now, from using recycled materials to growing fibers and fabrics.

Tuesday • August 31, 2010 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: 3D Printing, Design Mix, Designers, Fashion, Interviews, Jewelry, Pauline Van Dongen, Polyamide, Shoe Design, The Netherlands

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Artist: LYNN JACKSON

Working in her studio at the Artscape Wychwood Barns, Toronto artist Lynn Jackson calls on old photographs, her mother’s recollections and her own childhood memories to provide much of the inspiration for her prize-winning sculptures.   Using textile techniques taught to her by her mother many years ago, and with her experience of goldsmithing and costume design, Lynn knits metal wire which, for some works, she combines with felted and dyed wool to meticulously recreate the birthday dresses, nightgowns, bonnets and booties she wore as a little girl.   From recreating her childhood clothing it was a natural progression to the toys she played with and further, the intricately detailed sculptures of Tabitha Twitchit, Peter Rabbit, the Mopsey Bunnies, Raggedy Anne and other friends from her childhood. The work is nostalgically evocative but its appearance of fragility is deceptive. Rendered in wire, it speaks to the bonafide strength of the artist herself.  Meanwhile, her technique has won her awards at the Sculptors’ Society of Canada and at the Toronto Outdoor Art Show, while winning critics’ acclaim at exhibitions across Canada.   Born in Canada of English parents, Lynn spent her formative years in both Liverpool and St. Catherines. She studied Costume Design at Niagara College Shaw Festival Theatre School and spent three years in the Jewellery Arts Program at George Brown College in Toronto, where she studied gemology and diamond grading.

Based in Toronto, Lynn Jackson’s work explores themes of emotional and physical displacement. She knits with metal, a process that is informed by her years as a student of goldsmithing and costume design. She has sold her work across North America and has won awards from both the Toronto Outdoor Art Show and The Sculpture Society of Canada.

MORE FROM LYNN

Two Bunnies & a Bear: Two Bunnies & a Bear

designed by: Lynn Jackson

Material: oxidized copper wire
Description of item: Childhood toy sculptures hand knit with copper wire. These 'toys' are suspended from the ceiling or framed in a shadow box. These 'toys' may be displayed alone or in a group.

For Inquiries, contact us.
Dainty Dress: Dainty Dress

designed by: Lynn Jackson

Material: oxidized copper wire
Description of item: New born baby dress sculpture hand knit with copper wire and adorned with tiny flowers. This dress may be suspended from the ceiling or framed in a shadow box. This piece works well displayed alone or in a group.

For Inquiries, contact us.
Dainty Bonnet: Dainty Bonnet

designed by: Lynn Jackson

Material: oxidized copper wire
Description of item: New born baby bonnet sculpture hand knit with copper wire and adorned with tiny flowers. This bonnet may be suspended from the ceiling or framed in a shadow box. This piece works well displayed alone or in a group.

For Inquiries, contact us.
Dainty Knickers: Dainty Knickers

designed by: Lynn Jackson

Material: oxidized copper wire
Description of item: New born underpants sculpture hand knit with copper wire and adorned with tiny flowers. These knickers may be suspended from the ceiling or framed in a shadow box. This piece works well displayed alone or in a group.

For Inquiries, contact us

THE INTERVIEW

wwm: How do you imagine your work displayed in the home?
LJ: Suspended from the ceiling or framed in a shadow box.

wwm: What are some of your favorite things displayed in your own home?
LJ: Ancestral photos of family; an 18th century metal medicine cabinet from France; a wicker and steel baby carriage, circa 1910; 1970′s Sesame Street books.

wwm: Walk us through the steps you take in creating a new collection.
LJ: My creative process is broken down into steps.
1) Concept
2) Research : I use the internet and photo archives
3) Image/visual development : I illustrate with pencils, black pens and sometimes use water colour to establish visual designs. I do some drawings in a workbook as well as larger drawings that are turned into patterns.
4) Pattern making: I develop the patterns from the drawings. To do this I use paper or fabric with traditional pattern making techniques -old school cutting and draping. I keep an archive that includes the pattern with measurements and instructions, then a photo of the finished piece.
5) Creating the piece: I knit, crochet, stitch and sew the pieces with very fine copper wire and copper plate. I sometimes use felt. (wool)

wwm:What do you imagine a person who buys your work to be like?
LJ:Someone who thinks of art beyond oil on canvas.

wwm:Do you have a favorite artist or writer? A designer who works in a different material? Who are they?
LJ:Tracey Emin, Vivienne Westwood and A.Y. Jackson.

Tuesday • August 31, 2010 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Art, Canada, Copper Wire, Interviews, Lynn Jackson, Metal, Sculpture

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Designer: SHUYU LU

Born and raised in China, Shuyu Lu is currently a textile artist-in-residence at the Harbourfront Centre Studio in Toronto. She originally came to Canada to pursue an art education at the Ontario College of Art & Design. When she arrived, she started to explore the ways Chinese character, East Asian character, has melded with western sensibilities in Canada as well as in China.

Through screen-printing and embroidery, she expresses these insights along with her nostalgia for the country she left behind. She balances craft with design while making work that is playful, even humorous. What results is something uniquely beautiful and always unexpected.

MORE FROM SHUYU

JOURNALS: Digital printed cotton cover journal book

designed by: Shuyu Lu (China)

Material: Printable cotton

Description of item: Digital printed cotton cover journal book

For Inquiries, contact us.
SALUTE CHINIESE GIRL STUFFED TOY: Salute Chinese Girl stuffed doll

designed by: Shuyu Lu (China)
Based on my self- portrait as a Young Pioneer at my elementary school in China.

Material: Printed on cotton fabric, hand embroidery

Description of item: Sizes: 4”/8.5”/ 11”
All 4” dolls have magnet on the backside
14X4”
13X8.5”
8X11”

For Inquiries, contact us.
NEW TREASURE 1: New Treasure

designed by: Shuyu Lu (China)

Description of item: Screen printed ( traditional Chinese character pattern) on commercial cotton fabric; screen printed & hand embroidery on silk organza; wooden frame.

For Inquiries, contact us.
NEW TREASURE 2: New Treasure

designed by: Shuyu Lu (China)

Description of item: Screen printed ( traditional Chinese character pattern) on commercial cotton fabric; screen printed & hand embroidery on silk organza; wooden frame.

For Inquiries, contact us.
NEW TREASURE 3: New Treasure

designed by: Shuyu Lu (China)

Description of item: Screen printed ( traditional Chinese character pattern) on commercial cotton fabric; screen printed & hand embroidery on silk organza; wooden frame.

For Inquiries, contact us

THE INTERVIEW

wwm: How do you imagine your work displayed in a room?
SL: I think they might be displayed on a shelf or on a wall that already has other art – in the sort of “gallery section” of a home. That’s how I display work in my own home. My work is all about the combination of nostalgia, pop art, East meets West, even the mess of the cultural moment, the multi-cultural world we live in. Since my work is not an abstract painting or a bronze sculpture, it doesn’t need “breathing space” between it and other work.

wwm: What are some other items that seem to fit with your motif?
SL: Vintage toys! Also Chinese, Eastern and Western old posters, and propaganda. I get a lot of inspiration from these kinds of posters, so it would make more sense shown together.

wwm: What are some of your favorite things displayed at your house?
SL: I purchase a first edition print from 1967 of Chairman Mao propaganda from a souvenir store in Toronto’s Chinatown. Now it hangs on my living room’s wall and it is one of my favorite things in my collection. It’s not about the politics – I just fell in love with the graphic design, the color (red, cream, and black) and a sense of reminiscence. It’s kind of funny that I found it in Toronto; it would be hard to find in China now.

wwm: Walk us through the steps you take in creating a new collection.
SL: I finished school last year, so I’ve had two series of work so far. They are all made from a narrative perspective expressing my feelings about cultural impact. In my new work, I will continue to develop this concept. I like to bring the old and the traditional into contemporary pieces, meanwhile showing where the Western & Eastern elements melt together – their melting point.

wwm: What do you imagine a person who buys your work to be like?
SL: A person who has a little child inside of him or her. A happy person but a bit sentimental.

wwm: Do you have a favorite artist or writer? A designer who works in a different material? Who are they?
SL: I have a long list of my favorite artists and designers! The most inspired one is Zhang Xiaogang – the Chinese contemporary artist. He was born in 1958 and was influenced by a period of cultural revolution during his youth. His surrealist paintings are a perfect reflection of the period. It conjures the depressive atmosphere of the time. Dorie Millerson’s needlepoint is also a favorite. Most of her work is tiny and deals with memory, nostalgia, defining home and identity. The lace work brings her memories and moments of attachment to life with their delicate shapes. A person who has a little child inside of him or her. A happy person but a bit sentimental.

Tuesday • August 31, 2010 • by Chauncey Zalkin

Category: Art, China, Design Mix, Designers, Embroidery, Fabric, Interviews, Screenprinting, Shuyu Lu, Textiles

2 Comments