New studio store brings unique designs to market

Press release from Rare Edition Designs Ltd

23 November 2007

New studio store brings unique designs to market

An entirely unique designer’s studio store has opened, offering interior accessories and gifts made from limited edition textiles, hand printed on-site by designer Sarah Martin. The Rare Edition Designs (RED) studio store is located in Arrowtown, adding to the town’s reputation as a dynamic creative hub.

Opened in response to people’s desire to touch and experience the range of products made from her textiles, Sarah’s studio store collections include cushions, lampshades, wall art panels, fabric bound journals and albums, and leather trimmed handbags and travel wallets.

In the ground floor working studio below the store, Sarah has installed a huge purpose-built work table where fabric inks fly as the screen-printing process gets into full swing.

Rare Edition Designs prints on a limited edition basis which means that each of Sarah’s designs has a finite print run (usually 100 or 150 metres) after which the design is archived.

“The limited edition nature of my work means clients can be confident that their ‘special find’ remains just that,” said Sarah. “It also keeps the range constantly fresh and evolving.”

“The idea behind the store is simple really - the RED philosophy is that the beauty of an object should be felt and experienced, not just seen. We hand screen print these beautiful and original designs so that they are unique and authentic with inherent variations.  In creating the store, I wanted people to be in touch with the creative process.”

“So far my experience is that customers love browsing, carefully selecting and buying something from its source, making our pieces more than just products.”

Rare Edition Designs chose Arrowtown for the design and print studio because of the town’s unusual blend of vibrancy and history.

“The melding of old and new has a big influence on my designs. My Vintage Collection pays homage to an era of highly decorative patterns, but I’ve contemporised and relaxed the formality of this range by printing in earthy and neutral colours onto grainy 100% linen.

“Similarly, many of my latest designs are heavily inspired by flowers but they have a bold modern twist either through their scale, their colour, or their ethnic and global interpretation.”

The RED studio store operates from the mezzanine level of the Design & Print Studio at Unit 13, The Royal Oak, Buckingham Street in Arrowtown.

Sarah Martin designs exclusively for Rare Edition Designs. Interior accessories and gifts made from her textiles are also available via the website www.rareeditiondesigns.conz

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