Biko's Last-Minute Gift Guide / Wish List

Of course it's last-minute, what more did you expect from me? Here's a little list of items I either love and wish to have, love and think you should have, or both.
 

1. Unfold Pendant lamp, by Form Us With Love for Muuto.  The pop of cobalt would be perfect in my home, and it's soft silicone rubber makeup is genius. The lamp arrives squished in a box, and upon removal, it unfolds into its shape. Cool!  Available online at Design Within Reach, $189.

2. Biko Gift Certificate for ilovebiko.com.  These babies are brand new, how exciting! Gift cards come printed on beautiful card stock with fancy envelopes, and can be mailed directly to your or the receiver's address, free of charge.  There is even an option to print at home, for those last minute gifts.  Available at ilovebiko.com in values of $25, $50, $75, $100, $150, $175, $200, $250 and $300.

3. Quartz No. 1 Terrarium, by Score + Solder.  Oh how I want this. Badly, so badly. Available online at Score + Solder, $320.  

4. Modern Friendship Bracelet, by Biko. We wear this bracelet daily, no joke.  It's not only super chic and stylin', it's a fun way to show your friends your love for them.  Available online at ilovebiko.com, 1 for $85 or 2 for $150.

5. Almoco Flatware, by Almoco. I think this is the coolest thing since sliced bread. The matte black finish is 'old 80's car cool', and the modern silhouette of each piece is striking. Who knew cutlery could make me so happy? Available online at Design Within Reach, $60 for one setting.. yikes!

6. Pandora Necklace, by Biko. You should have this, because it's geometric, edgy and fun. Enough said. Available online at ilovebiko.com, $185.

7. Canadian Wool Blanket, by MacAuslands Woollen Mills.  I might have just acquired this blanket, but it's so new that I'm still very excited and wanted to share it. I can't wait to curl up and feel it's warmth. Available online at Old Faithful Shop, $210. 

Oh Crazy Month of December...

The best way to put it is to say that it's been one very intense and productive holiday season.  I've been going non-stop the whole time, and its been greatly rewarding and exhausting.  I'll do my best to give the picture-book version of what I've seen and been up to.

It all began with the Toronto One of a Kind Show, which opened its doors on Nov. 24th and continued for 11 jam-packed days, until the 4th of December....

I was given a non-corner booth this time, which required extra thought on my part to
figure out how to allow shoppers in without making it feel claustrophobic.  

Wolfie never disappoints.

Texture and shape.  Makes me happy. 

My friend Danielle Hession's beautiful work.  I've commissioned her to create a custom
piece for me, and I cannot wait to meet up with her and get it going!  

The day after the Toronto show ended on Dec 4th, I regrouped, repacked, and flew to Vancouver just in time for set-up at the Vancouver One of a Kind Show.  Set-up took two days, and the show ran from the 8th-11th of December.

A view of the beautiful mountains, the ocean, and the new Vancouver Convention
 Centre, where the show takes place.  I love the huge raindrop sculpture!

The Vancouver One of a Kind Show's entrance featured a huuuuuge chalk wall,
which visitors were invited to personalize.  

Biko's set-up here was quite different from the Toronto show. I was given a 5x10 corner
booth, and I ordered a white hardwall as my backdrop.  C'est chic, non?  

Perhaps the white wall looks even better than the dark brown wall I'm used to...
what do you think? 

I used several vintage boxes over black leather to display product.
Easily transportable and fun!

I was lucky enough to have the sales help of my friend (and talented photographer)
Marlis Funk.  We had tons of fun pretending this corner of hanging necklaces was
a mini jail cell.  Oh the silly photos we have from this impromptu shoot!     

Holiday lights on my walk down Burrard St after the show one night. 

After the shows were finally over, my friend Melanie (of Mena Dragonfly) and I treated
ourselves to a well deserved spa day.  The following day I took a trip up to Whistler,
and even went skiing! (You don't understand, I hadn't been skiing in about 12 years!).
This shot is taken high above the mountain, while traveling from peak to peak
 (Blackcomb to Whistler). 

I'm finally back at my home base in Toronto, filling last-minute online orders and beginning to plan the next Biko collection.  Yes, it never does end around here, but that's just fine.  I'm thankful for a great jam-packed season, and I couldn't love doing this any more.

I'll be back in a day or so with my last-minute holiday gift guide/wish list.  Stay tuned!

"The 12 Days of Chic" Campaign

We are happy to announce that Biko has been handpicked by Chictopia.com's editor to participate in their "12 Days of Chic" campaign, launching today!  Continuing for 12 days, Chictopia will exclusively be featuring listings from e-shop-owners who are part of this invite-only campaign... it's oh-so-exciting!  Each day, a new theme is given, and us 'chosen ones' will be offering up our best pieces to fit the bill.

Today's theme is "Pretty Little Thing", and Biko's Raw Amethyst Necklace is the perfect piece to begin with.  Don't forget to visit Biko's Chictopia store throughout the week to see what else we come up with!

To see what all the chic shop-owners are uploading, VISIT:

Altered Portraits: Art I Really Do Heart

I have a real love for curious art that takes something nostalgic and adds an unexpected twist.  I also am drawn to creepy, dark and mysterious art, often with body parts floating or missing or toyed with in some way.  I know this sounds strange to some, but I can't help being drawn in.  Maybe one day I'll give a blog tour of the art that hangs in my home, so you'll get a better idea of what on earth I'm talking about. 


I came across Brooklyn-based mixed media artist Mari Lowery's work on Etsy, and instantly fell in love. She makes the coolest original one-of-a-kind collages and prints inspired by her love of antique photos, animals, oddities, nature and halloween.  I spent a long time going through her Etsy store, tempted to buy one or more of her pieces. I'm going to share several of my favourites here:

Visit Mari's store here.

"Haunted Air: Spooky, Vintage American Halloween Photos"

So utterly creepy, I would kill to see these costumes live.  I've chosen my favourite images to share with you below... 

As described on the TIME Entertainment website,"Haunted Air, a new book by Ossian Brown showcases anonymous Halloween photographs taken between 1875 and 1955. It is published by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House UK." 

All images pulled from here.

Gone Antiquing

A day with my girls is a day well spent.  This past weekend we took advantage of the sunshine and drove past the burbs to hunt for curiosities at our favourite giant antique market.  I ended up buying some awesome wooden boxes to be used as part of the Biko display for the OOAK shows, as well as some old Eastern Rowing Assiciation inscribed coins and a few pearl-handled mini pocket knives, which will be made into necklace pendants.  Check out some images of our girls' day out:

Press: Toronto Standard // Studio Feature

It was my pleasure to have writer Sarah Nicole Prickett and photographer Raylene Knutson visit the Biko studio last week for the Toronto Standard.  Read their published piece below for insights into the world of Biko!

Press: Moose Magazine

Based in Spain, Moose Mag is a fashion magazine that never disappoints with its exploration of gorgeous photography packaged within a sleek design.  Biko was worn throughout this particular shoot, and I'm in love with the lighting and 'nudeness' of the pictures.

The Biko 'Behind-the-Scenes' Video Is Online!

We take you behind-the-scenes of the latest Biko campaign shoot, called Golden Haze. 
The day was long, but each person on the team is so very talented and such a pleasure to work with... it felt like we made magic happen that day...

To see the final product of the shoot, visit the Biko Lookbook here.

Biko – Golden Haze / Video by Dan Graf

TIFF Madness: Biko & the CBC Strombo Gift Lounge

Fashion Magazine puts it best:

NYC: Supply Shopping

I spent this last week in NYC, taking in all that great city has to offer.  While I ate my little heart out, enjoyed the company of friends, and found inspiration in so many places, I also scheduled Biko meetings and shopped for supplies for future collections.  Here is a tiny peek at some of the materials I'll be working with in the near future.

I Got The Bike!

Remember those gorgeous Italian Abici bicycles I was obsessing over in this post in May?  Well, I ended up buying the dove grey one!  I'm loving it so so much, I just had to share the news.  I haven't yet settled on an appropriate name for 'her', but if you've got any suggestions I would love to hear them.

I'm laughing my face off at Karolina, who insisted we take some pictures!

The Biko Lookbook Campaign: Golden Haze

Hot off the digital press, the online Biko Lookbook is now available for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!  We're also very excited to receive the printed copies, to be delivered next Tuesday.  

 

Stay tuned for more Biko website updates scheduled for next week:  The Behind-the-Scenes video of the campaign shoot will be posted, and you'll also be able to view and purchase the full FW 2011 Collection online...  Oh the excitement!!

Store Love: The Drake General

It's rare I'm in the Rosedale area of Toronto, but a visit to the dentist brought me near and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pop into the local Drake Hotel General Store.  One of three locations, this Drake General is super cute and quaint (well, they all are actually).  Their Canadiana meets vintage meets industrial chic aesthetic is drop dead cool, and their love for Canadian designers and artists is even cooler.  They even had a little flag display proudly celebrating their local suppliers, including Biko!

A Little Tease

I'm bursting at the seams with excitement over the upcoming Biko Lookbook, to be released in just under two weeks.  Every day I take another look at it, my socks get blown off all over again.  It does help that I've got photographer Angela Lewis taking care of the photography and image post production, as well as creative director Karolina Loboda of The White Room taking the reins in managing the team, image editing and designing the final printed piece.  I'm so lucky to have these amazing talents working on Biko with me.  We've been dedicating much of this week to finalizing the images and layout, so soon, very soon you will see the final product.  I'm going to be bad and give you a little peek...  just one image, that's all.   These ladies are just DARLING!

In addition, I must say the Biko shoot wouldn't have been possible without the collaboration of wardrobe stylist Jessica Albano, beauty artist Sandra Yang, videographer Daniel Graf, Biko interns Carly Blackman & Andrea Crofts, as well as the beauty and photography assistants.  Thank you, my amazing team!

Stay tuned for the Behind-the-Scenes video, to be released in mid August.

West Coast Getaway

Wowzers.  I know it's summertime and that means we're allowed to take a well-deserved vacation, but I do whole-heartedly apologize for leaving you hanging for so long.  I'm sure you haven't been waiting on the edge of your seat for my next post or anything, but still, it's been a long time and I'm sorry!

In this time away, I took off to San Francisco and drove down the Pacific Coast to Los Angeles and back.  I must say, this trip was mostly for pleasure and not business, but of course I was very inspired along the way.  While I was silly enough to leave my camera battery charger in Toronto, I did snap a few pictures with my trusty new iPhone.  Here, see some of what I saw!