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I spent two days in Vegas for the apparel shows last month and lucky for me, this time I wore sensible shoes. Twice a year Vegas hosts thousands of designers in shows like Pool, Project, Magic and ENK. This year I was struck by the innovative ways brands are balancing the need for their booth to be attention-grabbing, with a tight recession budget. From Woolrich‘s book design (my favorite), to Diesel’s chain link fence, the economic downturn once again appears to jump start everyone’s creative juices…

Love the piles of felt that act as resting spots for conference-goers.

Simple wooden frame positioned at eye level by Superdry allows passersby to peek inside and encourages people to wander inside….all for half the cost of materials.

Diesel creates an urban look complete with posters, neon and a chain-link fence. Not only is the fencing cheap, it allows people to peek inside and see the goods.

My favorite. Hands down. Woolrich‘s stacks of books added color, texture and give the traditional brand an edge. The insides of the booth were papered with pages from books. Love this!

Cafe Bustelo served complimentary espressos to fashion folks in the Workroom showroom. This has nothing to do with booths, but I loved the yellow tulips in the Bustelo cans. They brightened up the back end of a showroom and beckoned tired peeps.

A designer literally pokes holes in a model’s shirt, designing on the fly before an impromptu shoot. Note the wooden booth structure…a bit trend this year.

A super creative, ‘live’ booth design by Big Star. They wallpapered both the interior and exterior with dollar bills. On the exterior, the bills formed large blank spaces spelling out the name of the brand. During the trade show, employees carefully peeled the bills off the walls and dropped them into a bin to be sent to Haiti earthquake victims. Great idea.

A mural is outlined by cardboard. Cheap and common becomes modern and clever.

When I was a pre-teen (tween, whatever), I was *obsessed* with Tretorns. I would literally wear a pair until I could see my toes peeking out from the sides. They naturally ended up covered in drawings, friends’  names, etc and my Mom had to rip them off my feet (esp if there was snow on the ground) and force me to wear ‘normal’ shoes. Ick. Well, I spotted the Tretorn booth and fell in love with these elastic sneakers. Hopefully, I will soon own a pair of my own!

Have you seen any creative ways to beat the recession in window displays or catalogs?

Product designer Marina Ralph has created a collection of objects that addresses the state of our ever-changing lifestyles.  She develops products that are made to morph and change with the user’s needs. Interesting use of materials, clever concepts, and beautiful execution.

Introducing the work of Lisbon-based artist Cristiana Couceiro.  Her work stands on its own, but her client list adds even more clout, including names like Condé Nast and The New York Times. In addition to her clever collage work she edits a tumblr blog filled with recent work and a variety of inspiration like vintage book covers and labels called Hue + Saturation. My only complaint is that I want to know more about her personality and background. I imagine it’s as layered as her work (had to do it).

Labour and Wait appreciates that the form of the tools and items that make our day-to-day more convenient is just as important as their function.  This lovely store has three brick-and-mortar locations in Japan and two in London. Bruce Pask of the New York Times puts it best: “the store’s contemporary take on antique staples acknowledges nostalgia yet avoids “Ye Olde” cheesiness.”

“Tissue paper, cardboard, and silk are transformed into interactive objects that create a point of focus where memories can be made and a spontaneous collaboration between themselves and the viewer is sparked.” 

You can purchase their work online or view it in various installations for brands like Opening Ceremony and Bergdorf Goodman.

This beautiful little alterna-valentine is a creation by Portland artist Nathan Chrislip.  He was inspired by “cards my grandmother used to make for me when I was a kid.” They’re available on Etsy, but they’re going fast. [via Swiss Miss]

Through December 21st, an experiment in audience-participatory art is live at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde, Denmark. Social Souvenir has 300 t-shirts on display for purchase. Each shirt includes a quote from one of fifteen renowned artists like Yoko Ono, Erik Satie and Marcel Duchamp. Once you purchase your shirt, you enter your name and location into a database, which adds your info to a Google map. As the shirts disappear from the gallery, the map grows.  An interesting experiment in community-building and the use of new media.