Tagged: canada

There's not a lot we can say about our friends at Native Shoes that hasn't all ready been said. Totally killing the footwear game internationally, they've dreamt up the most beautiful colours of the most comfortable footwear you could ever imagine, and they do it in style. We'll let them describe it themselves:

"Indigenous to the foot, the shoe is pivotal. The cure for alienation, perforated material to keep your feet breathing. As Natives of this planet we are all by foot, so hey human, here are your shoes. Ground yourself in this defamiliarized chaos of old with a new and simple shoe. Cushy Candy Colored. Instantly your style will begin to grow. In colorful spectrums of the eye, pleasing designs, embracing select all-time classic looks through popular mould injection technologies. Native has done it. In dreamland Native shoes brings happy thoughts, an affordable and nice looking slip on a piece of reason in the modern era. The ultimate light shoe, light on the foot and the design is light on the eye. Look far into the future, footwear as freedom from the complica-tions surrounding shoes creation. A great reason to get outside, shoes for a better future, just looking at them will boost your mood. Footwear for citizens of the next century. At last, super lite material manufacturing has skillfully been utilized in never before seen fashions."

Our first Native Shoes Spring 2012 delivery is now available at both Still Life For Him & For Her, click through the pics above to see what colours & styles we've received, and keep reading to get to know the Native Shoe family:

• The Howard: The carefree billionaire. Drown your surroundings, embrace the heavy seas and hit the mean streets in The Howard - nautical matters far from the yacht. Two ends of the social circle covered in one shoe. Available For Him in Cordova Red, Beaver Brown & Scuba Green. Available For Her in Hot Sauce Red, Sherwood Green & Shell White.
• The Verona: Serfs Up! Who knew the lumpen proletariat would become so hip? Latin inspired, peasant footwear every modern Noble has to have. Tell your professor when Nobles are imitating peasants history is not repeating itself. TheNative thesis. Serfs up! Available For Him in Regatta Blue, Shuttle Grey w/Fizz Green. Available For Her in Shuttle Grey w/Fizz Green, Shell White & Torch Red.
• The Jericho: Upbeat, up high, and built for the eye. The Women’s Jericho has just the right ingredients: coy smile, comfy sweater, and dance,dance, dance. Graduate with style and look preppie even if high school went nowhere. Available For Her in Fizz Green, Hula Blue & Shell White.
• The Fitzsimmons: Explore rough social terrain, the last ascent of the social peak. Don't look back. Available For Him in Shuttle Grey.
• The Blanca: Human history has seen thousands of years of wearing sandals; thousands of years spent without Nativesandals. Unfortunately, these years cannot be replaced. Journey back to the Coliseum, dazzle Caesar and get a guaranteed thumbs up for mixing the inherently old fashioned with the modern age. The perfect mix, all yay, no nay. Available For Her in Red/White, Green/Black & White/Grey.
• The Jefferson: The definition of an instant classic, The Jefferson is bold and edgy, it is the perfect mix between good taste and subtle rebellion. Keeping it between the lines, but somewhat on the speedy side Available For Him in Pigeon Grey Solid, Shuttle Grey & Sherwood Green. Available For Her in Hula Blue, Shuttle Grey & Sherwood Green.
• The Corrado: Timeless and iconic, the Corrado offers a universal look that you can sport on a yacht or a canoe. Its classic form combines the essence of nature with high society. Available For Him in Bunker Green.
• The Jimmy: A technical wonder. Grab your trusty staff, throw on a 100% wool clock, and set out to stomp around in the muddy shire. Beat the elements while winning the admiration of the forest folk. Available For Him in Sherwood Green & Jiffy Black.

Get your green thumbs ready, Score+Solder Terrariums have returned for Spring 2012 to Still Life For Her. Stocking these incredible, one-of-a-kind pieces at Still Life this past winter we were innundated with calls and requests for information on Matthew Cleland and his magical creations. We've proudly received a small batch of new, all ready planted Score+Solder Terrariums all currently available at Still Life For Her.

A traveling gypsy, Matthew Cleland makes his beautiful Score + Solder Terrariums by hand on Pender Island off the West Coast of British Columbia. With a flask in one and a soldering iron in the other, Matthew magically creates one of a kind pieces of art with skills past down through ten generations at his home on Pender Island, BC.

Handmade glass and lead free soldered terrariums. Made to order and exclusively available in Victoria at Still Life For Her. Score+Solder Terrariums comes with quartz, rocks, activated charcoal and soil and have been thoughtfully planted for Still Life by Matt & Julia with moss and succulents. Truly inspiring, magical and wonderfully unique pieces of art, Score+Solder Terrariums would make an ideal holiday gift for anyone on your list or would add magic and beauty to any sunny corner of your home.

Our most popular leather bags and accessories at Still Life For Her hit the shelves today from Erin Templeton - arriving directly from her Chinatown, Vancouver studio/storefront. We've had a really tremendous response to Erin's beautiful, functional and ethical leather bags and accessories over the past year. Focussing on pracitcality with each design she creates, Erin recycles buttery soft leathers from deadstock fabric dealers, walk-in vintage pickers and even old leather jackets. Newly available Spring 2012 styles range from the larger, drawstring bags to smaller cross-body purses for a night out.

Erin recently opened the doors of her home to 01 Magazine for a rare behind the scenes peek. See where Junior (Erin's cat) loves to lounge and where all the magic happens. Our header image has been borrowed from the shoot, and you can see the rest here.

All Erin Templeton designs are lovingly made in her Vancouver studio, in either new or recycled leathers. Erin's life-long fascination with vintage informs designs that defy trends and transcend eras. Minimal hardware and simple, strong construction allow people to adjust, change, and make pieces their own. It is her hope that each piece is able to be a life long friend, and able to mix freely with new and vintage pieces. Erin Templeton Spring 2012 styles are now available at Still Life For Her.

A little inseason re-up from our bearded friend in Vancouver with Ken Diamond Quality Leather Goods arriving today at Still Life For Him:

• Braided Leather Wallet Chain (available in black) - Hand braided kangaroo leather finished with waxed cord and solid stainless swivel snaps on either end.
• Classic Bill Fold (available in black, chocolate and natural) - 3/4oz high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched with 2 card slots and 1 bill slot. A taller and narrower option than the shorter and wider New Bill Fold.
• Classic Key Fob (available in black and natural) - High quality 5/6oz veggie tan leather finished with solid brass swivel snap.
• Envelope Card Wallet (available in black, chocolate and natural) - 3/4oz high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched and finished with engraved Ken Diamond snap.
• Skinny Key Fob (available in black, natural & cognac) - 5/6oz high quality veggie tan leather, solid brass swivel snap finished with engraved Ken Diamond snap.

Ken Diamond began to work with leather in the late 90′s and established Ken Diamond in 2003. The philosophy behind the works of Ken Diamond are simple: high quality leather goods with classic designs, entirely hand made in his Vancouverstudio. As leather work is a dying art, he works at keeping the traditions alive while using modern techniques to keep the work simple and minimal.

A package journeyed across the straight from Vancouver and arrived at Still Life For Her today filled with sweet sentiments of love, longing, best wishes and the types of things you wish you could always say to those who mean the most to you. Inside were some of our favourites and some inspiring, brand new Dani Press Greeting Cards from our friend Dani Kreeft.

A long time ago Dani heard that to get the things you want in life, you have to first decide what you want. She cut out the self-doubt, let go of the word "should", drove away from the noise and eventually knew what she wanted. Her beautiful line of greeting cards comes from ten years of wanting: a card line of wayward travel photos and old typewriter text to inspire people, to give them the words they want to say but don't know how to, to give something meaningful.

Each card measures 4-3/8" x 5-3/4" and is sold tucked into something earthy: a grocery bag envelope made from 100% recycled materials. Action Envelope, the company Dani sources her envelopes from, is also 100% wind-powered and committed to greener efforts to help keep our earth beautiful.

Remind someone how much you care about them, with beautiful new cards from Dani Press.

Filling in the jewelry display racks at Still Life For Her this week, Biko has arrived from Toronto to get our girls dressed up and looking good gearing up for the holiday season. A stunning variety of necklace and bracelet styles make ideal gifts for best friends/girlfriends/sisters or yourself. Available now are styles (all pictured to the right) from her sub-collections within the Biko family: Little Instruments, Girl's Club, Boy's Club, Cluster Necklaces, Strange Magic, Bracelets and Pendants. Click through images to see all available styles and get a feel for the brand with this behind-the-scenes video.

One of the most special arrivals of the season was hand-delivered by the designer himself this afternoon with a winter selection of Score+Solder Terrariums.

A traveling gypsy, Matthew Cleland makes his beautiful Score + Solder Terrariums by hand on Pender Island off the West Coast of British Columbia. With a flask in one and a soldering iron in the other, Matthew magically creates one of a kind pieces of art with skills past down through ten generations at his home on Pender Island, BC. We had the pleasant opportunity to meet with Matt and his partner Julia to discuss the placement of Score+Solder Terrariums at Still Life For Her when they visited Victoria in October; it became a chance meeting where we found something truly special and unique that we hadn't realized we were looking for until we saw it walked in the door and landed in our hands.

Handmade glass and lead free soldered terrariums. Made to order and exclusively available in Victoria at Still Life For Her. Score+Solder Terrariums comes with quartz, rocks, activated charcoal and soil and have been thoughtfully planted for Still Life by Matt & Julia with moss and succulents. Truly inspiring, magical and wonderfully unique pieces of art, Score+Solder Terrariums would make an ideal holiday gift for anyone on your list or would add magic and beauty to any sunny corner of your home.

Matt & Kim enjoyed a well-deserved break from Still Life this weekend and headed to Vancouver for some R&R with friends & family. One of the first stops they made once they touched down on the mainland was at Union Wood Co. with our good friends Craig Pierce and Cara Donaldson.

Union Wood Co. is the company name by which Vancouverite, Craig Pearce creates his arts-based approach to custom furnishings. Founded in the summer of 2009, Union Wood Co is simply, an asthetic of vintage and industrial objects. Nostalgic of the solid floors of the docks, foundries, mills and factories upon which this city was built, and the men that did it. Union Wood Co. is inspired by the simpler times of centuries past, but living in today's modern lofts and heritage homes.

Using materials mostly reclaimed and repurposed from salvage yards, antique stores, demolition sites and other sources, Union Wood Co. create pieces that are solid, bold, and one of a kind.

Available for custom work on a commission basis for projects both large and small, Union Wood Co. is open Thursdays/Fridays 10AM-5PM and Saturdays 11AM-4PM at 503 Railway Street, Vancouver, BC. You can reach them via telephone 604.675.9033 or on The Union Wood Co. Website.

One of our nearest and dearest, Mr Ken Diamond has just supplied Still Life For Him with our widest range of Ken Diamond Quality Leather Goods we've ever had in the store! If you're talking everyday essentials with any Still Life For Him staff (and even most of the girls at For Her) we'll be quick to tell you that a Ken Diamond belt, key fob and billfold/card wallet are on our persons each and every day. Looking a little better every time you where or use one of his natural leather products, Ken Diamond quality is unmatched by any leather goods we've ever stocked at Still Life.

Ken Diamond began to work with leather in the late 90′s and established Ken Diamond in 2003. The philosophy behind the works of Ken Diamond are simple: high quality leather goods with classic designs, entirely hand made in his Vancouver studio. As leather work is a dying art, he works at keeping the traditions alive while using modern techniques to keep the work simple and minimal.

Now available from Ken Diamond at Still Life For Him:

• Lowbowski Moc (available in tan) - Hand stitched deer tanned cow skin outer, black cow skin liner with leather mid sole and crepe outer sole. Finished with wool felt insoles.
• Diamond Moc (available in black) - Hand stitched black bull/black suede split upper with leather mid sole and crepe outer sole. Finished with wool felt insole and leather laces.
• New Bill Fold (available in black and natural) - 3/4oz high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched with 2 card slots and 1 bill slot.
• Classic Bill Fold (available in black, chocolate and natural) - 3/4oz high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched with 2 card slots and 1 bill slot. A taller and narrower option than the shorter and wider New Bill Fold.
• Envelope Card Wallet (available in black, chocolate and natural) - 3/4oz high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched and finished with engraved Ken Diamond snap.
• Simple Belt (available in black, natural & cognac) - 8/9oz, 1.5" wide high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched and finished with a silver roller buckle.
• The Notebook (available in black and natural) - 4/5oz outer (3/4oz inner) high quality veggie tan leather, hand stitched and filled with a replaceable 5"x8" notebook. Finished with engraved Ken Diamond snap.
• Skinny Key Fob (available in black, natural & cognac) - 5/6oz high quality veggie tan leather, solid brass swivel snap finished with engraved Ken Diamond snap.
• Drawstring Back Pack (available in black) - Hand stitched black deer tanned cowhide with hand braided kangaroo straps finished with natural veggie tan logo and corner reinforcements.
• Beer Kozy (available in natural) - 3/4oz high quality natural veggie tan leather, hand stitched and finished with Ken Diamond skull embossment.
• Dog Leashes (available in black and natural) - High quality natural veggie tan leather, looped handle and hand braided detail brass snapped to base finished with solid brass swivel snap.
• Dog Collars (available in black and natural) High quality natural veggie tan leather finished with and adjustable holes finished with solid brass buckle. Sizes 16", 20" and 24" available.

As a note to the ladies, please don't fret - although many of Ken Diamond's leather goods are unisex, we do have Mr Diamond working hard on our separate Still Life For Her leather goods order including pieces from his brand new women's collection. Get excited ladies!

Aaah! Native Shoes for everyone! The little Vancouver brand that could, Native Shoes is at it again with their Autumn 2011 range of Native Boots! We've had a fantastic response to our own personal favourite, The Jimmy Boot this season, and today we've got more sizes and more colours to keep your feet dry as you battle against Mother Nature this season with rain and wind always on the horizon on Vancouver Island.

Surpassing a standard that no one knew existed, The Jimmy Boot from Native Shoes is exceptionally light and completely waterproof with a laminated nylon upper on a molded EVA outsole. Complete with a stabilizing insole The Jimmy is the ultimate all-weather boot. Also, animal free, odor resistant, and shock absorbent. Now available in Torch Red, Crayon Yellow, Beaver Brown, Jiffy Black, Bunker Green & Regatta Blue at Still Life For Him & For Her!