(NEW YORK) Last night Five Story threw a fashionable fête with Swarovski for CFDA nominees Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis of Suno, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School, Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters of Creatures of the Wind, Pamela Love, Irene Neuwirth, Jennifer Meyer, Tim Coppins, and Todd Snyder. The designers were each asked to create an objets d’art to be sold at the store with proceeds going to benefit Free Arts NYC.
What’s for sale? A black crystal encrusted lowrider bike by Public School, a white crystal moto helmet from Tim Coppins, a sleek set of kitchen knives with varying shades of silver crystals from the Cushnie et Ochs ladies, Todd Snyder’s black New Balance men’s sneakers with a crystal encrusted “N,” an old pin-up photograph with crystal accents from Creatures of the Wind, a trio of indian arrows with black and turquoise crystals by Pamela Love, an iPad case by Irene Neuwirth with a crystal encrusted image of a dog, a set of blue crystal vases with yellow crystal bases by Jennifer Meyer, and surprise…a crystal encrusted cactus from Suno!
With all of the detailed crystal work involved, we had to ask: How long did it take to make the finished product? Suno’s Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis’ very popular cactus apparently took six days with the help of some “very loving and ambitious interns,” said Beatty. And after all that hard work, they wanted it for keeps. “The girls in our office were like, ‘Will you buy it? We want it back!'” said Osterweis. But the design duo have also put in their fair share of intern hours: “My first Swarovski project was actually when I was an intern and I was supposed to applique the number 7 onto a t-shirt and I did it stone by stone only to find out in the end I had put the 7 on backwards!” said Beatty. Clearly, all of that trial and error paid off in the end.
Pamela Love said she spent many hours putting the sequin touches onto her arrows, which she told us was not an easy process but that it was fun to get to do something outside of her normal design realm. Meanwhile, Chow and Osborne from Public School’s elaborate crystal bike was covered in 5,000 to 6,000 crystals and required a bit of extra help. “It took about a week and a half. We were trying to do the math, but it was like 30 or 40 man hours,” said Chow. “We had everyone in the office working on it. After we did the handlebars we were like, ‘Um…maybe we should switch to the bigger crystals for the body.” As for how they are feeling about their CFDA nom? “We’re celebrating win or lose,” said Osborne. “We’re just happy to be nominated. We feel like we’ve won already.”
Later in the evening, Joseph Altuzarra showed up to check out the glinting designs. When asked which pieces he’d like to take home with him, he told us, “The Suno cactus was really cool or the Cushnie et Ochs knife set, because I really need a knife set.” Noted. Michelle Ochs and Carly Cushnie said they didn’t think of anything else but their knives when coming up with a design. “There’s something slightly dangerous and very seductive about them,” said Cushnie. Ochs added that they fit in with the brand’s clean aesthetic and the idea came to them when they imagined a woman cooking in their clothing. “It’s a whole look!” said Ochs.
If you’re looking to get your hands on the one-of-a-kind creations, you better act fast. Four out of the nine pieces have already sold and apparently the store’s phone was ringing off the hook for info on the items prior to their unveiling. The pieces (including those sold) will be on display through June 3rd. Tell us which design you love best here.
PAIGE REDDINGER
