December 2008

WOW! Where does the time go? Looking back, a good part of it was spent doing shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Suttons Bay, twice to Washington DC, Philadelphia and Sarasota with another two weeks thrown in as a family vacation in the south of Spain! No wonder I haven't been able to communicate as well as hoped here on our blog spot! We'll try to change that now that things are settling down for the winter here at the studio. Many new ideas have been set forth and worked on in my absence by the team, which we will enjoy sharing with you as we complete them in the upcoming months.

The good news (as many of you are asking) is that we are holding our own very well in these trying times/ I truly believe as they say that "as the going gets tough the tough get going". Luckily, we're in the business of creativity, so the challenge to renew, refine, and go forward is our natural way of operating here at the Studio. I appreciate all of the ideas, concerns and desires that many of you have shared with me in person or via email, etc. All of them get added to the conceptual mix and find their way into future designs in some form!

Have a great holiday season! Be safe, warm, and happy, and I'll get back to you in January with a peak at what's new for '09!

Chris

HELLO!!!

Studio News: Fall 2008

How quickly time flies. Our busy season is about to begin and I'm not sure I actually felt a summer slowdown! As I write this, the Studio is quiet, with everyone taking some much needed time off. It had been very busy up until now preparing fall shows and orders beginning with the San Francisco American Craft Council show and Evanston Craft Show this month.

Aside from the normal garment design and consruction work, we have spent the summer reorganizing the presentation of our work and think you will find it easier to understand and access our knits. Instead of new collections each year (with creative names that none of us can remember!) and individually named garments within the collections, we'll have five on-going collections of knits named for the types of knits that we do...Elements, Milano, Graphics, Textures, and One-of-a-kinds. New designs and colors will be added on a regular basis and featured here on the blog. The most popular designs become our "classics" and remain available over the years. For information about our existing classic styles in any/all of the six groups, contact us for photo/price sheets.

We have found that the best way to see and experience the quality and fit, of our knits is in person at a show or at a gallery, and hope that is possible for you to do. However, we do a lot of mailing and accept returns if it doesn't work.

The new Graphic designs featured here are based on the photos taken during a leisurely walk along my favorite Lake Michigan beach by my family cottage. They are done in soft, lightweight fabrics and feature raised, linear patterns found at the waters edge and in the dune foliage. New colors this fall are Coffee and Raisin and I think these designs are wonderful using them!

These designs are available now. Email us at office@christriola.com

WELCOME!!!

STUDIO NEWS: SUMMER 2008

Welcome to our new blog where we will endeavor to keep you informed of the latest happenings at the Studio and welcome your comments!

The newness of the blog reflects the depth of newness we are experiencing at the Studio. We have been in the process of streamlining operations for a few months and can say with confidence now that the rewards of all of the hard work are very worthwhile!

With a streamlined staff of five, we are putting the final touches on all fall orders ahead of time! This is due in part to our new efficiency and partly in preparation for closing production for the month of August while Michael and Gerlie (our dynamic production duo) travel to their Philippine homeland. Tracy and I will be in the office part time each week during the month so we will keep the office end going.

The best news of late is that we have been accepted into all of the national shows we applied for this year, including the Smithsonian in April, Evanston in August, and The Philadelphia Museum Show in November, as well as all of the American Craft Council shows chosen. Our goal is to have new work for each one, so we’re very busy this summer preparing for that! Stay tuned to this spot as we post photos and make them available to you. We are currently in the process of re-vamping our website, which will house all of our "Classic Pieces", And should be ready to visit in July. Love to hear from you.

We love it when we have out and out “hits”, especially warm weather garments, and are eager to share the news with you on this site. At present, it is our “Jasmine” pullover, a ¾ sleeved, one-pocket top that we introduced in the spring in three rich color mixes and solid black. With the overwhelming response that we have had to it, I have added three new summer color ways and solid Ivory. Friend, Ann Leago agreed to model for us and we were taken by her spontaneous response to its loose-fitting and light-weight comfort! It is available now and through the summer in all six colors plus solid black and ivory. E-mail us at office@christriola.com or call the Studio at 517.484.3480.

Until next time..

Chris

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