Unique Roundup: The Best Branding

We are suckers for a pretty package. With so much competition branding is more important than ever to help a company stand out from the competition and make an impact on their target customer. Here is out roundup of companies killing it in the branding game.

Stuck on Tattly...

When Tina Roth Eisenberg (AKA the fabulous Swiss Miss) was sick of the tacky tattoos her kids kept sticking on their arms at parties, she decided to create her own line of kick-ass temporary tattoos for, you guessed it, design lovers. Tattly’s are designed by a curated crew of designers and illustrators including Julia Rothman, Mike Lowry, and Lisa Congdon. And the best part? They are made right here in the United Sates! Need some special bling? Stick on a few diamonds to shine. Typography nerd? Try some word art. Whatever your thing, Tattly's got you, well, covered.

LA's Spring Show a Blast!

Thank You LA!

Our 5th Annual Spring Show was another great success, thanks to the amazing and talented vendors and to the 14,000+ shoppers that came to buy local and enjoy community! Spending Mother's Day weekend with such a great group of people never gets old, and we all feel blessed to be part of such a positive and energetic community. We'd love to hear from y'all - make a comment below and tell us what you're favorite finds were or which vendors you are now obsessed with! :) Did you get snapped? We've posted our pictures of the weekend on our Flickr page for you to enjoy, including many of the fabulous Richard Simmons who came to buy local! If you posed for a wacky picture with Oh Snap Studios, you'll find your unique photos on their website here. If you want to find a vendor that you loved, you can browse our online listing of Participants by category - shop from them online and continue to buy local. :)

Because of your support we were able to donate $3000 to our great non-profit partner the Downtown Women's Center who have been a vital part of the community for over 35 years. In 2011 they opened MADE by DWC, an amazing cafe and boutique in downtown LA that sells products created locally by homeless and low-income women at the Downtown Women’s Center, and they just opened a new re-sale store nearby! I hope you'll visit their website to learn more about the organization and how you can get involved and help.

UNIQUE LA shows could not be possible without the great support, enthusiasm and energy from our Sponsors! Like us, they believe in community and 'quality over quantity'. If you enjoyed a free drink or discovered a tasty new treat, please show them love by visiting their websites. You'll find them all here. :)

Thank you again for an amazing show, we hope to see you at our Summer Show held in Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar on July 13 & 14!

UNIQUE LA Tomorrow!

In just 12 hours we'll open doors to the biggest made-in-America shopping event of the year - UNIQUE LA. Not only that, its also our 5th Anniversary so prepare to see a heftier directory, an exclusive totebag by Brian Rea, UPPERCASE magazine giveaways, an amazing open bar, and tons more! We'll have the event recap photos up sometime next week but if you want live coverage of the event, follow us on Instagram at @UniqueUSA.

 

 

Holiday Show Map

We know that our Holiday Show can be a little overwhelming sometimes: 350+ designers and artists, open bar, snack station, free drinks, photobooth, and a DIY den is a lot to process once you get to the show. So we're making things easy on you by releasing our map + list of vendors early. Plan your visit in advance and WIN this Holiday Season! Click images for full resolution.

Holiday Show 2012 Lookbook

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Our 5th Anniversary Holiday Show is this weekend and to get you even more excited about shopping from 350+ hand-selected designers and artists we put together a lookbook in order to show you some of the great things that you'll be able to get at UNIQUE LA this December 1st and 2nd. For those of you that won't be able to make it to the show (bummer!) or simply can't wait to shop made-in-America, we linked all of the products in the lookbook to each of the designers' online stores. For those of you that ARE coming to our Holiday Show this weekend... See you there!!!

OC iPad App

In August Opening Ceremony launched their own magazine called Annual. Now they are rolling out its digital companion piece, which offers original content, various interactive stories by contributors including Bruce Weber, Terence Koh, Tim Barber, Poppy de Villeneuve and more! The app is available now on iTunes and its FREE.

Take a look at this little video tour of the app and download it ASAP!

The Softer Side of Indestructible

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Proudly emblazoned on AT-95's website is the quote "A new American Industrial Revolution". That pretty well sums up their philosophy. With only a few select pieces of industrial, retro, exquisitely made furniture, AT-95 has concentrated on what they do best and kept it simple. Tables, industrial carts, chairs and stools. Cast iron bases, all "Designed and Built in Middle America."

Mark McNairy S/S 2013

One of my favorite menswear designers Mark McNairy (who also happens to be a big supporter of the Made-in-America movement) presented the 2013 Spring/Summer collection in his first ever appearance at this year's NYFW. McNairy continues to surprise us with an interesting mashup of off-the-wall prints and patterns combined with his signature preppy silhouettes. Dedicated fans will be happy to see the return of crazy camo, floral, and gigantic polka-dot prints.

images via GQ.com, hypebeast.com

Atomic Theory

If that retro look is your thing, have I got the company for youAtomic Living Design by Detschermitsch located near Denver in Englewood, CO. Husband and wife team Lisa and Jesse Detschermitsch have always loved the look of mid-century modern architecture and furnishings that recall the homes they grew up in. They were inspired to design and build their own line of "modern furnishings for the mid-century minded."Environmentally conscientious, they use low and very low VOC water-based lacquers and eco-friendly sheet goods wherever possible. Available for purchase online here.

Holler for Southern Design

Holler Design is a small furniture making company in Tennessee. (if the name is familiar you may have seen them recently featured on fab.com) A collaboration of husband and wife team Matt and Melissa Alexander, two southerners who "have left home and returned with an imperative of what it means to be southern, and a desire to share that view with others."  Inspired by rural forms and textures, their pieces are rustic, minimal, and pleasing in their simplicity and how the honor the wood. On their website they write, "Our objects exhibit a 'love of making,' retain a subsequent intrinsic value, and utilize a production process that is inherently sustainable, but which is grounded more in the tradition of craft than in the ‘green-washing’ of current systems of manufacturing."

 

Back to the Trees

You know we're always down for great design for a good cause. Designer Matt Singer teamed up with Rivendell Mountain to create a limited run of backpacks benefiting the Million Trees NYC—a citywide initiative dedicated to planting and caring for one million new trees across New York City’s five boroughs.

Singer's muse was New York City itself. "Trees are an integral part of New York City—they help clean our air, reduce the pollutants that trigger asthma attacks, and make New York City an even more beautiful and comfortable place to live, work, and visit." - says Singer about his motivation to collaborate with the non-profit.

We did a little research and found out that the backpacks are handmade in the USA (Monroe, Washington to be exact). The backpack is available on Matt's online shop for $225.

Smart Storage

Every home needs more storage. It is an ongoing quest. Look no further, Housefish has made the solution easy. This awesome little furniture start-up has developed "a highly modular storage system that ships flat and assembles easily- the only tool you need is a hammer. The parts are cleverly joined into an exceptionally strong structure by machined aluminum tenon keys. The wood is sustainably harvested, FSC certified maple or walnut plywood, finished with a zero VOC finish. Key is our effort to redefine what sustainable, green, modern furniture can be. Available with optional sliding powdercoated metal doors in a wide variety of colors. Key packaging is 100% paper-based and contains no plastic." WOW! And it is all manufactured in Denver, Colorado, not to mention great looking. P.S. Shipping is free to the US. You've GOT to love these guys.

Listening to Los Angeles

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Los Angeles is a noisy place. But have you ever stopped and listened to it, picking apart all the sounds that create this perpetual cacophony we call home? Right now, just sitting at my desk, I hear birds, rain (yes, glorious rain!), cars, an airplane, the distant hum of the 101, and—in a moment—church bells from down the hill.

Designer Alex Braidwood decided to listen—really listen—to LA as part of an experiment to understand the city. Wearing a delightfully Steampunk-esque recording device on his head, he ventured out with filmmaker Mae Ryan to hear what different environments from the beach to the light rail had to say. The result is this beautiful film produced by KPCC. Listen and learn.

Skateboarders x Cooks?

Q: What do skateboarders and cooks have in common? 

A: If they're using Epicurean cutting boards, they're both cutting it up on the same durable material. Sister company to Loll Designs (see our article about them here) Epicurean was founded in 2003 by TrueRide, a custom skate park manufacturer in Duluth, Minnesota. They used the excess material they had to create home food prep surfaces. Commercial kitchens had long ago discovered the durability of the material, so this was a natural next step. We especially love this series, called the Designer Series, for its adorable patterns and the built-in way to keep track of which board you use for raw meats and poultry, versus the one you want to cut your kids veggies on. They have tons more to choose from, check out their selection here and buy them directly from their website or from a store near you.