The Weathered Project: Utility Chapter Two
Last October we introduced you to Char Kennedy, a talented and driven industrial designer who creates objects that people use to shape their lives. We’re checking in with her to see which projects are keeping her on the go and how her reliable Nudie Pipe Leds have changed throughout the ride.
Char sports her Nudies about four times a week—they’re her uniform for when she’s on her bike, working in her design studio or dressing them up for a night on the town. It’s one of the functional and aesthetic benefits of darker denim—easy to dress up or down. Six months down the road, we can see that Char’s Pipe Leds have lightened up and those coveted whiskers in the front of the jeans and honeycombs at the back of the knees are starting to show some great etching patterns.
Char locked down two prestigious projects since we last met. The first was the design and development of Vancouver’s first 0% dairy, plant-based micro creamery, Nice Vice. She designed and managed the buildout of Nice Vice’s first location in Yaletown, and is now also working on the design of a parklet out front so that people have a place to enjoy the sunshine and their cones when those glorious rays hit the city.
The second project she dove into was for Umbra and Toronto Design Offsite—she and 10 up-and-coming designers were challenged to develop innovative products for small living spaces. She created a functional and beautiful “pivot broom,” which rotates on a central axis to allow for multiple sweeping angles and enables compact storage without damaging the bristles.
Char will spend her summer on Denman Island to get some much-deserved R&R and soak in future design inspiration. She is also working on a few pieces for some restaurants—we’ll be sure to update you on her upcoming ventures in our next installment and show how her evolving denim reflects her adventurous and unpredictable life.
Make sure to check out The Weathered Project next month—we ‘ll see what’s shaking (or stirring) in the world of renowned mixologist Shaun Layton at his new spot in Vancouver’s Chinatown, Juniper. Learn how his Imogene + Willie Barton Slims have fared him along the way.