Pirouette One to Watch Awards SS18 designed by Frida's Tierchen

Many months ago we started a conversation with Maria – founder of Frida’s Tierchen (see previous post) proposing the idea of Maria creating a Pirouette One to Watch award designed by Frida’s Tierchen for the Summer edition. Fast forward to present day and Maria has successfully put her unique creative stamp on the award by creating a wolf headpiece to be presented to the Pirouette One to Watch winners in fashion and design at Dot to dot London, Playtime Paris and Playtime New York. Let’s find out what Maria considers good kid’s design and what the inspiration was behind her creation.

What is good Kid’s design to you?
Design is for me a complementary aspect to the quality of materials and manufacture, that can enrich the quality of toys or complements for kids or any other object. Although we’re seeing an enhanced focus on design in the world of kids toys and complements it does not have an absolute value per se. In my eyes, a good design applied to a product with poor quality materials, or an automatized or guided play concept is not a good overall result. I believe that an original, timeless and carefully worked out design gives a personal character to the product. Our children should have available toys and complements that invite them to imagine and discover, for which an open/neutral design without an excess of intrinsic significance is essential. And they should be made of high quality and noble materials to stimulate the senses.

What was your inspiration behind designing the award for this season?
My inspiration has been the values of the Pirouette One To Watch Awards to highlight and support emerging talent with unique design elements, attention to detail, a strong identity and responsible production; all values which I share with my brand. The wolf headpiece evokes the symbolism of this animal with its intelligence, strong individualist and also team player, with the eye as the symbol for the attention and awareness the winner will receive. The headpiece has been specially designed and manufactured for this occasion and it’s made of natural wool felt carefully sewed and silkscreen printed.

Why do you prefer to use natural materials, are they more difficult to work with?
Surely everyone must find its own way in terms of choice of materials when it comes to expressing and materialising concepts and designs. In my own way of perceiving objects the materials are aspects that can be felt. Natural cotton and wool are warm materials and sensitive materials, being sustainable as they are recyclable and free of toxic substances. Of course, the choice of these materials increases the cost of production, but this clearly is in favour of the touch and feel and the durability.

Do you have any new products coming out?
I’m working on new costume elements made of wool felt, combined with silkscreen printing and also experimenting with natural dyestuffs and pigments. For the first time, I will also be launching some products of kids decoration, in the same line of design than my other products, handmade with natural wool felt to accompany the daily living spaces and over all made to be lived and to last. These will come out in September 2017.

Where would you like to take Frida’s Tierchen in the future?
Recently I’ve moved with my family to a warehouse-like studio in the flowering neighbourhood of Poblenou in Barcelona, where many artists and creatives have their studios. There’s great potential here. It feels like being outside the city. This new and much larger workspace allows me more room to experiment and for a better organisation of my whole workflow. I’m looking forward to work with new materials and experiment with new artisan techniques which will expand the universe of Frida’s Tierchen toys and children decoration elements.