Every week at staff meeting, each designer brings in something that inspires them. Recently I’ve found that I’m often showing the Anthropologie catalog as an example of truly inspirational art direction and sales strategy. Such is the case with their recent issue focusing on the printing heritage of the Hatch Show Print Shop.

Hatch Show Print Shop is the nation’s oldest wooden type printing press. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Hatch made its mark printing posters promoting country music stars. In fact, it is now maintained by the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The recession may not be over yet, but this weekend I literally saw and felt hope from New Yorkers. It came in the form of the opening of a new shop, Teich, run by our good friend Allison Teich.

Teich sells her own line of eco-friendly handbags as well as a curated collection of socially conscious goods all made right here in NYC. Perhaps inspired by the general goodwill that Teich brings into her products, in a very non-stereotypical New York fashion neighbors, shop owners, and long-time residents have been pouring in throughout the week to welcome Allison. Her new shop at 84 East 7th Street represents new life to the East Village, just as spring has come around to show us that the sun just might shine again.

We personally wish Allison the best of luck.  Her success thus far is certainly an inspiration. (photo: Matthew Polis)

In my humble opinion Anthropologie leads the way in retail design and retail display windows. I am always enamored by their mix of art, fashion, craft, and social causes. The end result is always witty, playful, engaging and inspiring, both from a distance and up-close in the most minute details. Who could ask for more?

Last weekend I stopped by the recently opened Green Depot on the Bowery. The products they sell are similar to those found in most environmentally friendly aisles, ranging from household cleaners to baby and pet products to books on being green. The most impressive part of the store is the way they’ve merchandised their products. They’ve placed a huge emphasis on education by creating stations that engage shoppers and encourage them to interact with the products for sale.

When it comes to selling environmentally-friendly products, the element of education is key. Essentially, the packaging and retail environment surrounding the product need to convince shoppers of the added value of buying green. This is especially challenging now that consumers are keeping a close eye on the bottom line.

Let’s be honest, the Japanese are geniuses with wacky innovations. I would be remiss if I didn’t share any of the crazy innovations Marc and I saw on our recent journey to Japan.

Let’s start with their innovations with the QR bar code. Designed to be  read quickly, these codes are now used everywhere from billboards to advertisements. You take a photo of one with your cell phone’s camera and then present that image at the store to be scanned as a coupon or as a ticket. Here’s a billboard in Tokyo that, when you take a photo, loads a special website on your phone.

I love this set of  “cordial invitations,” designed by Keetra Dean Dixon. The whimsical designs and messaging are helping to remedy my February blues. I would like to receive one of these cards, cordially inviting me to “Invest in the Fantastic,” “Make Luck,” or “Twist the Cynical Loop.” I love the delicate and playful quality in the typography – much of which appears to be created by combining geometric shapes and colors. See the individual cards after the jump.

If you’ve looked at our photo journal you know that one of the most shocking things about our trip to Japan was that there wasn’t much sushi to be found. It turns out that the U.S. version of Japanese food I love so much is just that, a U.S. version of Japanese food.

The Japanese eat sashimi but only as a side dish, most often on special occasions, not really as a meal. As I discovered, a more traditional Japanese meal includes: ramen, rice, gelatinous rice products, eggs, and pork—lots of pork—in everything. Vegetarians, beware!  Even my best-laid plans to have a tofu or egg dish always included pork somewhere.

There’s probably a very good reason why the Japanese are light-years ahead of the rest of us when it comes to cutting-edge graphics, although it’s not my job to speculate. Instead, I simply marveled at it all as I had the opportunity to wander the streets.

MSLK’s recent trip to Japan found us taking picture after picture of cool trends, colors, shapes, and patterns. These are things you needn’t go to a gallery or museum to see, either — they’re all around you — in subways, on buses, on sale in convenience stores, and all over the street.

Click below for some of our favorites…

It is with a tremendous amount of love that I write this post, having just returned from one of the most eye-opening (if not wallet-opening) trips in my life: a trip to Japan with Sheri.

We had an amazing time visiting shrines, temples, museums, and sampling the cultural riches from the streets of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya to small towns such as Kasugai and Owariashi.

I will leave Sheri’s more pragmatic nature to post things from the “high” road, and will walk you through some of the offbeat things which caught our eye from a decidedly “lower” road.

Hope you enjoy…

This year we bid 2008 farewell with the MSLK Holiday Party at our favorite burger joint: Pop Burger.While a massive rain thwarted our plans to check out the department store window displays along 5th Avenue, we enjoyed an assortment of burgers from a variety of flora and fauna (Sheri turned us all onto the guilt-less pleasure of the “invisible burger” — a battered & fried portabello mushroom).

Tis’ the season once again, 5th Avenue’s holiday windows are up and beckoning you to come inside. Drawing upon their summer windows, an evolution of Gap’s 2007 holiday windows, Louis Vuitton is tickling my fancy yet again with the perfect blend of branding, whimsy, and cheer. I’ve always been on the fence over their white checkered window treatment/skin. Finally this design incorporates that texture. The twinkling monogram LEDs compliment the gridded texture and only add more layers to a brand steeped in heritage.

Thank god the windows are beckoning me into their brick and mortar storefront because their online shopping experience is a bit of a dinosaur. Sadly you can’t take any of your 5th Avenue holiday shopping experience home with you for after hours online shopping. At Louis Vuitton, somethings are still better enjoyed in person.

If you have a passion for quilted leather hold onto your handbags, next month Chanel will be rolling into town their roving art mobile with an exhibit dedicated to artists’ work inspired by the elements that give Chanel’s quilted handbags their unmistakable identity.

The real star of the show will most likely be the mobile building itself. Designed by Zaha Hadid, this is no ordinary vehicle. It seems to be a cross between the Starship Enterprise and a snail shell.

The vehicle has already been in Hong Kong and Toyko. It will land in New York on October 20th and stay through November 9th, before heading off to London, Moscow, and Paris. Tickets to the show in New York are free and became available this morning. I suggest booking yours immediately here.

Being of small stature, shopping for clothes which fit well has always been challenging for me. Once I find a brand that fits, I become loyal for life.

Luckily, English label Ben Sherman, has never let me down. Beyond fitting ideally, their clothes are based on the best elements of London style — from 1960s Carnaby Street to Punk — and are always incredibly well-made.

After just buying a shirt to wear for a friend’s wedding, I was surprised to find at the bottom of the bag… a Rubik’s Cube.

Two years ago on my birthday, The Roxy (nightclub and Wednesday night roller rink) closed for back taxes. My girlfriends and I stood at the doors bounded up by chains and mourned the end of an era. Since then, there has been no roller rinks in NYC. Chelsea Piers, Empire, The Roxy, and Skate Key all closed down. Roller skating is apparently passé and worse yet, an insurance liability.

Luckily for me I have secret benefactor with the name of Lola Staar. Lola too felt the loss of the Roxy and dreamed of a place where disco skating like everyday is 1979 could live on forever. Through dreaming and fund raising Lola unveiled the new Dreamland roller rink for NYC on the Coney Island Boardwalk.

The virtues of good friends are widely known. Yet it’s great friends who continue to expand the definition of what great friends can be. Case in point: Rick & Karen Juneau, who sent Sheri and I a mystery basket which turned out to be a jarful of M&Ms with our faces on them. They just upped the ante.

The 90’s heat-activated trend is back. Touch a green shirt you will leave yellow fingerprint; blow on a purple shirt you will see pink marks. The fabric dyed with a special pigment that makes it heat-sensitive. LA fashion designers, Anzevino and Florence, took this trends to the next level and not only making T-shirts but also dresses and scarfs (clothing pictured above). Other fashion and sportswear companies like American Apparel and Puma have hopped on the hypercolor trend with everything from t-shirts to sneakers.

The fabric is washable in cold water, but iron it, bleach it or dry it in a steaming-hot machine and your shirt won’t last the 15 minutes this trend is destined for. Read more to see more color actions.

My parents have just returned from a trip to Barcelona and found this great bag they thought we’d like. Like it? More like love it. The strings of the handles become part of the line drawing.

In many ways, it reminds me of the gift tags we designed a few years back.

As Katie pointed out this morning, it’s reasons like this that I will never be cool: I like cleaning supplies. I like laundry detergent and hand soap. I like floor cleaner and window spray. That’s not to say I like cleaning, per se, but I do really like clean things. So when I heard Method was opening a pop-up store in Soho, I was pretty excited. Method positions themselves as an environmentally conscious cleaning products company. They use natural ingredients rather than harsh chemicals, and they encourage the re-use of their packaging by selling refill bags. Unfortunately, after three attempts to go to the store, I’ve yet to actually make it inside. Apparently they are only open from 10am – 7pm (working folks never clean, do they?). Nights are for private parties only. I was promptly shown the door when at a few minutes to 7pm, I snuck in. I did snap a few pictures that are shown after the jump with a few more I pulled from their site. Good luck making it in.

I’m in love with a “new” store in Soho. No it’s not another flashy storefront like you might be expecting, but rather a humble second floor shop just off Broadway at Spring Street called Kiosk.

The core philosophy of Kiosk is unique, every 4-6 months they feature a different country and, in turn, their product offerings are a curated collection of the interesting high-end and low-end curiosities from that country. This month the country is Hong Kong.

The fashion industry is going green – but what does this exactly mean? What is ethical fashion? Which materials and methods are eco-friendly alternatives? Many words and terms are used commonly but are not commonly understood.

MSLK recently created a little “Green Fashion Glossary” featuring helpful terms and definitions, which are significant for the fashion industry. This glossary explains many terms that you might encounter in business discussions, articles or when purchasing eco-friendly clothing.

The glossary features three sections:

1. Green Design Terminology
Basic terms and processes emerging in every area of sustainable design, not just fashion.

2. Green Fashion Terminology
A list of fashion specific terminology, including eco-friendly fibers.

3. Alarming Facts and Alternatives
Facts about the fashion industry’s responsibility, hazardous chemicals and eco-friendly alternatives.

Click “read more” to see the entire “MSLK Green Fashion Glossary”.