It’s FLASHON darling! – Eley Kishimoto FLASH ON Week LFW SS11

Being uber jetlagged on the Friday meant I missed the press preview of Eley Kishimoto’s ‘FLASH ON’ Week exhibition. But it seemed that I’d dodged a proverbial bullet, as I was informed that it was hot, packed and with drink spillage all over people’s shoes.

I instead went by on the Saturday, where the exhibition was now open for public viewing, but was pleasantly calm, airy and cool. And this meant that the exhibitors could give me their full attention.

The ‘Flash’ print by Eley Kishimoto is one of their most well known, and inimitable prints, and has seen many incarnations over the years. Using this print, Eley Kishimoto has collaborated with several recognised brands to create a limited edition range of products, all dressed in the ‘Flash’ print. In association with London Fashion Week, the London Design Festival and the Anti Design Festival, in Bateman’s Row in the heart of Shoreditch, Eley Kishimoto hosted a weekend exhibition of collaborations with brands BMW, Incase, Duvel, Noble Macmillan, Orlebar Brown and Cinelli in conjunction with the Bicycle Film Festival London.

Top to bottom: Cinelli x Eley Kishimoto T-Shirt; Cinelli x Eley Kishimoto bicycle (side) ; Cinelli x Eley Kishimoto bicycle (front)

The Cinelli collaboration was for the 10th Anniversary of the Bicycle Film Festival, which starts in New York in March, and travels around the world and reaches the UK in October 2011. The short film that Cinelli made for the Eley Kishimoto collaboration has proved immensely popular and is going on tour with the festival, rather than just being shown when the festival hits the UK. Fiona from Eley Kishimoto explains to me that the bicycle produced for the collaboration is made from vintage, reclaimed bike parts which have been given the FLASH treatment.

I especially liked the wooden FLASH plinths that each item was presented on. Uber kitsch.

My favourite item however, had to be the Noble Macmillan notebook. I cheekily asked (being a writer) if Eley Kishimoto would gift one to me. I was met with a calculated and bemused look. Calculated, as in they were judging who I was (don’t worry, I see that look everyday in the mirror) and bemused by my audacity. I always say you don’t get if you don’t ask. But on the other hand, a lot of the time you don’t get punched in the face if you didn’t open your mouth. So a double edged sword.

Bound in England, and made from a mix of paper, there was a large element of handicraft to the notebook, down to the leather bound cover. I did ask the price, surprisingly I’m not always angling for freebies or a serious press discount, and I was told it was £140. I promptly put it back on the shelf. Sigh. One can only dream. It is an extremely beautiful book, down to the silver edged pages. If you’re a journalist who doesn’t have to keep chasing invoices, go for it.

InCase, a familiar name to anyone who owns an Apple product, has produced a range of cases with the FLASH print, for the iPhone, iPad and Macbook. I mentioned this to my friend Diana, who loves Eley Kishimoto more than she can bear, and says that they should produce a Blackberry case. As a fellow Berry user, I wholeheartedly agree. Snazzy us up.

Duvell, beverage of choice at the press preview the night before, after hearing that, I was pretty glad I missed it. It’s hard to rid that beery odour out of suede. But the glasses are very cute, and for only £10 each, they’re a great way of grabbing a piece of the FLASH print, if you’re feeling the pinch at present.

But if I had the green, I’d be spending it on this:

Which made me all:

The BMW motorbike is just an exhibition piece, but I was informed that there had been quite a lot of interest in it, and BMW were considering doing a limited edition run. Sign me up. I can’t even ride a push bike, but who cares. If all fails, I’ll just use it to hang my clothes on.

The last, rather delightful piece is the Orlebar Brown collab. Swim trunks that come in three colourways, and two different lengths. Fiona informed that these had been flying out like hot cakes. Make a big splash by wearing them down to your local leisure centre. (PUN INTENDED)

Wakako Kishimoto has also produced a hand-painted, screen printed poster for each collab. It’s fantastic retro imagery, that really captures the feel of these pairings.