As the sun begins to set earlier, the evenings get a little chillier, and the mid-summer afternoon rain that kept the grass in the parks green, lush and perfect to laze around on has more or less faded out, we begin looking ahead to Autumn. While I love summer in Berlin, a city with copious amounts of public space that lends itself easily to lots of serious business hanging, it is, in the end, land-locked. So the prospect of Autumn is somewhat of a relief, in that the desire to flee in any direction in search of a large body of cold water might soon begin to dissipate. But forgetting this haunting tendency towards vigorous escapism, we will enjoy the last days of sun in the parks and on the river banks, getting as much of a tan as possible so that it lasts through the 9 months of cold and dark that we have to look forward to.
The third installment of "Meet the Labels" is dedicated to another simple, elegant and experimental Australian label, Rittenhouse. Sticking with our "public space lends itself to hanging" theme, Rittenhouse was named after Philadelphia's beautiful and sort of bo-bo square, one of the 5 original open-space parks planned by William Penn, the city's founder, in the 17th Century.
Sally MacDonald and Micah Hamdorf, the label's owners, officially began working on the project in 1997 in Philadelphia's historic square, but eventually moved it back to their hometown, Sydney, where they have been living and working ever since. The label explores traditional, everyday classics for men and women, adding flourishes to every piece that mark them as unique and immediately recognizable. Within these flourishes, the couple subtly pushes the boundaries of textiles and prints, making each piece remarkable and endlessly exciting (surprises in every fold). Rittenhouse's work is as elaborate as it is humble and understated. We are so glad to have them on board and look forward to seeing the upcoming 2010 S/S line. Here are some pieces from the 2009 A/W collection:
