Rennes celebrates craftsmanship and timeless simplicity with gorgeous, must-touch leather goods and accessories (check out the gallery below!). The Boston-based line was launched three years ago by self taught designer Julia Okun, who named the company in honor of Rennes le Château, a village in southern France known its local lore and mystery. Okun drafts, cuts and sews every piece in each collection, inspired by the idea that “making an item by hand creates community.”

Ms. Okun graciously took the time to speak with us earlier this week:

Where did you learn your craft?
I learned to sew at an early age from my Mom and Aunt, but only started working with leather about three years ago. Working with leather is really different than fabric, and I’m completely self-taught. I read a few books and just experimented a lot. I bet if I took a class on leather working today I would learn I’m not doing anything by the book! When I started I had no idea it would turn into a business, so I’ve been really lucky in that regard.

I understand the name comes from a small French town–what’s your connection there?
When I started, I called my line Rennes le Chateau, which is a town/Chateau in the south of France. About a year into making bags I realized that name was way too complicated, so I shortened it to Rennes, which actually is another place in France. As a kid, I was really obsessed with any kind of conspiracy theory, and a lot of the “Da Vinci Code” theories are based around the myths in Rennes le Chateau. For some reason (which I’ve forgotten), it made sense for me to call my line that.

And last, what sort of person do you see yourself designing for, and what do you hope people will get out of your line?
I see myself designing for an independent person who doesn’t want labels or brands all over their clothes. One of the reasons I started making bags was because I couldn’t find one I liked. Most of the people in Boston have Longchamp, Coach, or Louis Vuitton bags, and you can see them coming from a mile away. I don’t want to be defined by the clothes I wear – I want it to be the other way around. For the longest time, I didn’t want to put any labels in my bags but friends and family told me I should, so I finally caved in. At least, I hope, they are discreet and classy! I want people to use what they buy from me for a really long time, so I always try to think of making timeless and trendless pieces.

For more information (and to buy), check out RennesHandmade.com. [Note to last minute holiday shoppers--they make great gifts!!] And to see some of Okun’s musings and sources of inspiration, check out her blog at blog.renneshandmade.com.

All images courtesy Rennes.

In direct defiance of the chillier weather that currently surrounds us, we’re opting for warmer weather dreams–courtesy of L.A.-born, New York-based designer Danielle Ribner’s chic new Loup Spring 2012 collection (gallery below).

Pronounced “Lou”–like the French word “loup,” which means “wolf”–the brand’s name comes from Ribner’s childhood nickname, Lou. Loup began in 2008 as a tennis clothing line, supplying resorts and tennis players with streamlined, midcentury French-influenced clothing “that brought references from the zeitgeist into a game with classic American style.” From there, Ribner developed her current, contemporary women’s label, a marriage of Parisian style ideals and classic, comfortable American sportswear.

Ribner took the time to answer a few questions for ArtSlope earlier this week. . .

How did you get into fashion?
I always had a passion for art, and fashion seemed like the best way to make a career out of it. I attended Parsons School of Design after college and fell in love with the craft, design, and process of creating a clothing line.

Are there any “fashion rules” you yourself live by?
I don’t think there are any fashion rules, but I try to make sure I don’t leave the house in anything that doesn’t feel like the best version of me. I always tell people, if it doesn’t make you feel cool, then don’t buy it.

What sort of woman do you see yourself designing for?
I design for a woman who likes to have whimsy her life, but still feels grounded in the reality of her day. I see her as someone who appreciates the creative world around her, but also wants to function in that world at her very best.

Last, what do you hope women will get out of your line?
I hope when women wear Loup they feel extremely comfortable, inspired, and very much themselves so they can feel confident and motivated in whatever they do. And because it is manufactured with so much care, it can be worn over and over again, getting better each time.

For more information and to buy, visit louponline.com.
All images courtesy of Loup.

This week, Dutch architect Haiko Cornelissen introduces picNYC, a clever grass-topped dining table designed to bring the experience of picnicking into the urban home. The lightweight aluminum tabletop and legs form a solid framework for grass, soil, and stones, and owners can transform their dining spaces as they wish through variations in flowers, herbs, or even vegetables, not to mention usage, sunlight, and season. As the firm says: “Suddenly spilling water becomes a necessity instead of a problem, and wine glasses need coasters not to prevent ring stains but to avoid tumbling.”

Photographs by Iwan Baan and Alan Tansey, courtesy of Haiko Cornelissen Architecten.

Studio DRIFT‘s latest commission is the stunning FLYLIGHT, an interactive light installation inspired by the seemingly random patterns of a flock of birds. Spanning two floors of a private residence in Moscow, the graceful, whimsical FLYLIGHT consists of over 200 glass tubes which light up and respond to the viewer. It was designed by Studio DRIFT designers Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, and produced in coordination with Philosophy of Design.

Check out a FLYLIGHT image gallery below, and the enchanting FLYLIGHT in action here:

All images courtesy of Studio DRIFT. For more information, visit www.designdrift.nl

Belgian artist Arne Quinze‘s latest project, “My Safe Secret Garden,” takes residence at South Beach Miami’s Setai hotel this week during the Art Basel Miami Beach festivities. Quinze is known for confronting his audiences with dramatic, large-scale installations and both large and small sculptures–often from various types of wood painted in electric, fluorescent colors–that explore themes of social interaction, communication, and urbanism.

Quinze’s newest installation symbolizes the artist’s mind and thoughts through a “safe garden,” which securely fences him off from his surroundings. The enclosed area represents the parts of himself that cannot be touched by strangers; by sharing his personal domain with others, however, he ends that separation. Quinze hopes the piece will stimulate reflection on the concept of boundaries and encourage personal insight.

“My Safe Garden” is part of Quinze’s ongoing series, “My Home My House My Stilthouse,” which consists of imposingly tall wooden structures that stand atop small, fragile legs, appearing as though they might collapse at any moment–inspired by man’s own equilibrium. According to Quinze, “I regard my work as a study about how I experience life and how people in general experience their lives.”

“My Safe Secret Garden” follows Quinze’s innovative July-October 2011 “Rock Strangers” project at New York’s Statue of Liberty: a 200-foot tall digital sculpture that rested on Lady Liberty’s flame, visible through a custom-built augmented reality app for your smartphone. Adding an alien element to the city, Quinze sought to redefine the social space and questioned man’s reaction to unusual objects in one’s daily space.

The “My Safe Secret Garden” exhibition is presented by Reiner Opoku, Wolfgang Roth and Guy Pieters. For more information, visit arnequinze.tv, and feel free to check out my 2009 interview with the artist for Clear Magazine here.

*Images courtesy of Arne Quinze.