14/12/2013

Teacake Hero - Paul Smith

At Teacake we're always on the look out for things that inspire us and we were thrilled when we heard about the Design Museum's latest exhibition about fashion designer and Teacake favourite, Paul Smith.

Hello, My name is Paul Smith (15th November 2013 - 9th March 2014) takes you into the world of the iconic fashion designer, '...a world of creation, inspiration, collaboration, wit and beauty'. Celebrating his career the exhibition references Paul's influences and designs, '...charting the rise of this quintessentially British label which has become one of the leading fashion brands in the world' .(designmuseum.org).


What are you waiting for?

- Jennifer 

09/12/2013

You follow us on Instagram right?

We've been very busy here at Teacake over the past month working on exciting new projects. Here's what has inspired us over the past month...



























Follow us on Instagram to see more.

- Jennifer

10/09/2013

Paul Smith x 6a architects

We love Paul Smith's new Mayfair shop designed by 6a architects. The store boasts a cast iron panel exterior incorporating some of Paul's own doodles with an interior that includes a wall within the shoe department covered with 26,000 dominoes. We can't wait to visit.  


- Jennifer

05/09/2013

Only in England

Legendary photographer and Teacake favourite, Martin Parr has collaborated with the late Tony Ray - Jones for a special exhibition at the Science Museum in London. 
Fascinated by the 'eccentricities of English social customs', Ray - Jones travelled around England in the late 1960's photographing what he saw as a 'disappearing way of life'.  
'Humorous yet melancholy, these works had a profound influence on photographer, Martin Parr who has now made a new selection including over 50 previously unseen works from the Ray-Jones archive' (sciencemuseum.org.uk).  
With the pieces shown alongside Parr's 'The Non-Conformists' (his rarely seen work from the 1970's) this exhibition demonstrates the close relationship between these two very important photographers.  
Only in England can be seen at the Science Museum from 21st September 2013 until 16th March 2014. Make sure you check it out. 
(Source of photographs and text: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk). 
















































- Jennifer

29/08/2013

Teacake's Friends - Part Three























Teacake friend and collaborator Sebastian Matthes was born in Germany and moved to Manchester in 2006 to pursue his passion for photography.  Previously a full time nurse, Sebastian's love for the art quickly turned into his profession when he became the Warehouse Project's resident photographer.  With his work featured in national and international publications including iDJ and DJ Magazine, Sebastian's breathtaking images capture the raw energy of the crowd, making you feel like you were there.  
Alongside music photography, a big part of Sebastian's work is also commercial and product photography - is there no end to this mans talents?  
You can check out his website here. 

























- Jennifer

14/08/2013

Teacake's Friends - Part Two

Dom and Ink (also known as Dominic Evans) is an illustrator living in Manchester and London. After graduating from Manchester School of Art in 2008, Dom went on to complete an MA in Illustration at The University of Brighton where he started producing work for the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Amelia's Magazine and The Shoreditch Fashion Show (amongst others). 
His first book, Map My Heart is released in November (Summersdale Publishing) and explores relationships - '...it's about how people meet, fall in love, break up, wallow and then pull yourselves together for round two.  It will make you laugh and think, pour out your innermost thoughts and doodle away your angst, scrawl swear words and rip out it's pages'.
You can pre order the book on Amazon for only £8.67.  Bargain. 
Check out his website here.  


- Jennifer

06/08/2013

Teacake's Friends - Part One

New to the blog, we've decided to introduce you to some of our talented friends.  This week meet 23 year old Fine Artist, Jess Rowe.
Graduating from Manchester School of Art in 2012, Jess focuses on the use of oil with her most recent pieces creating a series, entitled 'Oil on Board' numbered one through to thirteen.  Inspired by nature, Jess' abstract pieces do not work directly from images of nature but more towards '...leaving a trace and hinting at the organic and spontaneous'. 
Check out a selection of our favourite pieces below.  You can visit her website here.  



















































- Jennifer

04/07/2013

Teacake on Buildings

When you know a city so well you can get to work with no recollection of how you got there.  Keeping your head down, reading an email or even checking your Twitter or Instagram. Manchester - it's time to put your heads up.  We have some beautiful buildings to look at.  




- Jennifer

02/07/2013

Teacake on Stationery

We're stationery obsessed at Teacake.  Exercise books, coloured pens, highlighters, notepads, fountain pens -  we've got them all and love them that much we thought we would share our favourite companies with you.   
J Glinert 
London based J Glinert is the brainchild of Tom Budding - inspired by a shop Budding used to visit as a child.  'It's where I got my supply of glass marbles and rubber bouncy balls' (Cool Hunting).  Selling everything from fountain pens and perforation cutters to wax pastels and pencil sharpeners this Hackney shop is teeming with beautiful creative instruments.
jglinert.com

























Present and Correct
P&C first opened its virtual doors in 2008 and they have been a firm Teacake favourite since.  As well as stocking their own designs you can also purchase items from designers around the world and vintage pieces that were purchased on sourcing trips across Europe.  Their aim is to '…spark a distant memory (and) make you smile'.  This is one you'll definitely want to check out.























Labour and Wait
Established in 2000, L&W is situated in the heart of East London's market district.  They offer an 'evolving range of timeless, functional products for everyday life…'.  We love their range of Pocket Fountain Pens and Cloth Bound Notebooks.  A must for any design fan. 


- Jennifer

27/06/2013

Teacake on Bikes

In honour of the 100th Tour de France (which starts this Saturday) we have pulled together a list of our favourite cycling companies, branding, photography and art.  
Ineo Designlab's branding for the Berlin based bike company Højmark Cycles combines two of our favourite things; cycling and beautifully crafted typography.  Højmark specialises in handmade frames of exceptional quality with Ineo incorporating a number of hand-rendered details into the brands visuals including a custom-drawn logotype.
American photographer Emily Maye's love for cycling came after she entered a fantasy league with her dad and his friends (with little knowledge of the sport).  Four years later and she is quickly becoming one of the most talked about names in cycling photography offering a refreshing take on the sport.  'I want to give a sense of what it's like to be at the race in person... rather than just the actions of the competition' (It's Nice That).   Her most recent project was shooting a (very muddy) Cyclocross race in Belgium.  She has also teamed up with iconic brand, Rapha when she photographed Team Sky on the island of Mallorca, Spain.  






















'There is no end.  There is no beginning.  There is only the passion of life' - Fellini.  Il Dolore is the online scrapbook of cycling fanatic, Simon, which showcases the history of cycling.  From a heartwarming image of British cyclist, Beryl Burton teaching her daughter how to ride a bike in 1963 to photographs of the iconic Coppi brothers this blog is a must for any cycling fan.  






















To mark the 100th edition of the Tour de France, Rapha have commissioned ten illustrators and designers to create artworks commemorating the 100 Tours that will have taken place since 1903. Each piece of work represents a specific era and captures 'the diversity, beauty, suffering and cultural significance of cycling’s grandest race' (Rapha).  We love this one by Geoff McFetridge, which celebrates the sport from 1994-2003.  





















Image has always been important to cyclists - from the days when competitors used to carry combs in their back pocket to ensure that they looked their best for that all important winners photo to today with websites that inform of this seasons trends and what not to wear on the road (yes, really).  That said, we have succumbed and purchased many pieces from Rapha (well, they are practical too). For more about cycling culture and style check out Cycle Love.  






















We know very little about Jack Saunders but really wanted to share his graphic design work for Rapha.  Check out his website here.  A fitting end to this post.


 Make sure you catch the start of Le Tour this weekend.

19/06/2013

Lots of Logos

Isn't it lovely when you stumble upon some beautiful type in a place you least expect it? That's what happened when we visited MOSI's Collection Centre.
The first of its kind in the country - the centre is a hybrid of a gallery and a study centre with cabinets full of fascinating pieces from the museum's collections.  Adorning the walls are a range of logos, all relating to Manchester's industrial history. 
Definitely take a look next time you're in the area. 









- Jennifer

17/06/2013

All Hale New Gallery

One of our favourite art galleries, Atelier Rose & Gray has recently opened a second gallery in Hale and we were invited to their launch party last Thursday.  To celebrate the launch, Fantasmi, an exhibition of new prints and paintings by Royal Academy artist - Stephen Chambers was also unveiled (we were even lucky enough to meet the man himself!).  
A must see for any art lover, Chambers' work covers a vast artistic style from abstract and figurative to minimal and decorative, 'where colourful images are held in a kind of suspended animation'.   Other work on show includes fellow RA artist Sir Peter Blake and prints from YBA - Damien Hirst.
Visit their website here.  




- Jennifer

16/06/2013

Totem Graphic Design Degree Show 2013

'Manchester School of Art believes an art school is more than just a place' but what a place it is...
Last Friday night we braved the rain and headed to the degree shows which were presented in the new Art School building. Completed earlier this year as part of a £34 million redevelopment - the building boasts a vertical gallery space which acts as a shop window showcasing the Art and Design faculty to the city.  
On entering the building you are met with a spectacular entrance and exhibition area which is reminiscent of an art gallery with its clean white walls and minimalistic design.  
We headed to the second floor, home to the Graphic Design graduates.  All work was finished to an exceptionally high standard (as expected) with an emphasis on typography (much to our delight!).  Unusually, all work was grouped together into disciplines rather than individually which was unfortunate as you could not see who had created each piece - maybe something to look at for next year?
Overall a fantastic night - congratulations to all graduates. 

- Jennifer