Ok.  This is kind of brilliant.  While there have been a number of brands that have launched heritage collections, I’ve found a lot of them uninspiring and pretty forced.  However, Cole Rood & Haan, a footwear collection inspired by Cole Haan’s 1920′s Chicago roots and taken directly from the historic archives, proves different. They have managed to update some vintage designs with modern touches and great leathers.   Not only do the shoes look great but I love the way they have chosen to market and brand the collection.

The marketing campaign highlights an entrepreneurial lifestyle.  They made the very wise decision to hire Todd Selby aka The Selby to shoot the campaign, which features entrepreneurs in NYC who run businesses that take old things and make them new again in a fresh and innovative way.  The shoot takes place at four places: The Smile- a Cafe and Mixed-Use Concept Store, Jack’s Coffee-the inventor of the “stir brew technique,” Maryam Nassir Zadeh, an amazing boutique carrying things that are both new and old and Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons, an edgy, beautifully crafted jewelry line.  By using real people in real life situations the whole line just feels more authentic.  These are shoes you want to wear on your way to the studio for a day of brainstorming and bags you want to cram full with a notebook, pens, magazines and bits of inspiration you find on the street.  You can see the full shoot here.

I didn’t plan to go to Sephora yesterday.  I certainly didn’t plan to spend $50 on shampoo and conditioner.  But after learning about Living proof, I was so inspired that it happened in a spontaneous, must have sort of way.*

You see, yesterday the good folks over at Wolff Olins hosted a breakfast.  The theme?

How do you build a brand from the ground up in a down economy? How do you launch a product that solves a real problem in consumers’ lives? How do you create big impact in a high-investment category with a small marketing budget? How do you stay relentlessly focused on your vision no matter what?

They invited their client, Rob Robillard, CEO at Living proof, a company whose mission is to solve the toughest beauty challenges through the use of cutting edge science AND then provide extraordinary customer experiences.  So despite the products high price point in this economy, they are thriving.  Thriving as in they sold 40,000 units in less than 30 minutes.  It is an amazing feat on many levels.  The reason as I see it?  Yes, they have a great product; a product that is revolutionary.  (They use PolyfluoroEster, the first new anti-frizz technology in over 30 years.  Other brands use silicone, which weighs down hair.) But what makes their brand really champion others is they have focused on their consumer.

They have a corporate policy to answer every phone call and email.  They send out free samples.  They listen.  They have invested in the research, the design, the packaging and the product and therefore, they got results.  They value their customers on every level, which is ground breaking for a CPG company.  It is definitely a new and refreshing way to enter the beauty segment and I hope others in the industry follow Living proof’s lead and success.

*Perhaps I was a bit too enthusiastic. I failed to look inside the goodie bag they gave on our way out, which had a travel size shampoo and conditioner and a full size styling cream. Hey, it will actually be perfect for my trip to LA next week. Right?

Things have been quiet on the Inclined to Create blog because the last two weeks I had the incredible opportunity to work on a great project with Nordstrom during New York Fashion Week. Nordstrom asked me to scour the city for the most exciting trends, after parties, people and places and then blog about it in their New York Street Scene Section. Pretty amazing project.

This is amazing.

The NYTimes has a great story about the gaining popularity of Bento Boxes.  One of the bento creators they feature is “Bentomom” who posts the photos of the bentos she makes for her kids on Flickr.  Her attention to detail is amazing and so cute.  You can see more of her clever creations here and the full NYTimes here.

Fashion designer Hedi Slimane has long been admired for his work at Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, which is no doubt gorgeous. However, it’s his photography that really stops me in my tracks. Spend a moment day exploring his photo diary.

In this weekends NY Times, Jason Logan created a great interactive illustration that documented a weekend he spent navigating his way through NYC by nose.  Spend some time here exploring the different neighborhoods Jason visited.  It certainly reminds me of all of the smells I love and detest in this city.