ACCENT ON DESIGN® INTRODUCES SIX EMERGING DESIGNERS IN A+™: THE YOUNG DESIGNER'S PLATFORM

American Design Club to Curate the Special Exhibit at Summer 2009 NYIGF

Six new design companies have been selected to participate in "A+: The Young Designer's Platform," an "incubator" exhibit area within Accent on Design® at the New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®). Reflecting a mix of recent design school graduates and seasoned professionals launching new businesses, A+ participants will introduce a range of new, innovative, and design-focused gift and home products at the summer 2009 market.

A+ showcases emerging talents alongside nearly 200 established contemporary design resources exhibiting in Accent on Design, offering young designers an affordable opportunity to expose their concepts, prototypes and finished products to the wholesale marketplace. A+ participants - including students, recent graduates, or new companies in business for one year or less - are selected on the basis of design concept, creativity and originality.

"Innovative design must be nurtured and encouraged in a business environment to ensure the future health of the industry," said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. "A+ offers powerful marketing, sales and partnership opportunities for the designer, and exciting new resources for the buyer."

Designers accepted into the August 2009 edition of A+ are: Jamie Iacoli of I&M Iacoli Mcallister; Hideaki Matsui of Social Entrepreneurship Network, Inc.; Colin O'Dowd; Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee of the.; Gail Rigelhaupt of The Naked Stone; and Peter White of BYWHITE DESIGN.

Once again, the A+ exhibit area will be curated by the American Design Club (AmDC), a professional community of American designers whose goal is to heighten awareness for emerging designers and provide exhibition opportunities. The organization, which was founded in 2008, also will showcase a number of its members within Accent on Design.

Accent on Design, a dynamic juried collection of nearly 200 contemporary and innovative products across all gift and home categories, will mark its 25th anniversary during the summer 2009 market, August 16-20, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

NYIGF is the nation's premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,900 exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. Some 30,000 attendees from all 50 states and around the world are expected. For information and registration, visit www.nyigf.com. NOTE: Profiles of the Summer 2009 A+ participants follow.

# # #

A+™: THE YOUNG DESIGNER'S PLATFORM
Participant Profiles/NYIGF August 16-20, 2009

Jamie Iacoli, I&M Iacoli Mcallister
Designers Jamie Iacoli and Brian McAllister have joined together to create home accessories which will be presented at NYIGF under the Iacoli & McAllister label. With backgrounds in industrial design, philosophy, and architectural sheet metal, they are motivated by material exploration, texture, repetitive movements, the details of how objects come together, and contemporary art. The emerging design team works with resources local to their Pacific Northwest offices.

Hideaki Matsui, Social Entrepreneurship Network, Inc.
Hideaki Matsui, a New York and Tokyo-based designer, has studied product design in both Japan and the U.S., and graduated from Parsons The New School for Design with a BFA in Product Design in 2006. His work has been selected for numerous design awards including I.D. Magazine Student Review Best of Category 2007, Red dot best of the best 2007, IDEA Gold 2008 and iF material award 2009.

Matsui's new product introduction is Cleanup soap, a bar soap formed as a replica of a landmine. Sales raise funds for landmine removal and survivor assistance through the Cambodia Landmine Museum. Moved by landmines' devastating effects, rendering land useless to produce food, utilize water sources, and build infrastructure, Matsui developed the idea around the image of the soap disappearing, followed by the landmines.

Colin O'Dowd
London-based designer Colin O'Dowd progressed to furniture and product design after studying architecture. He produces and distributes accessories to leading design stores and museums worldwide, and his furniture is produced by renowned manufacturers, including Ligne Roset. O'Dowd has won design awards at shows in London, Milan and Cologne.

O'Dowd's simple and subtle approach show through with the Click, Polaroid mirror, an interactive and entertaining mirror designed to be a conversation piece. He will also be showcasing the Graphkin, a napkin made of graph paper, designed to offer a better surface for doodling and notes.


Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee, the.
the. will be showcasing amusing and eclectic home accessories designed by Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee. After her studies and work experience as a graphic designer, Ouchi earned her degree in product design. Born and raised in Japan, she now lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Sherwood was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Zimbabwe, and now resides in New York. He graduated with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Gail Rigelhaupt, The Naked Stone
Gail Rigelhaupt's new endeavor, designing one-of-a-kind limited edition jewelry, follows a successful career as a graphic designer, and executive creative director, mainly in New York. She translates her years of solving design challenges incorporating aesthetics and business objectives into a pure visual form with the same attention to color, form, contrast, and meaning evident in her 2-D design.

"The Naked Stone" jewelry is fashioned from natural stones, celebrating the quirky and unique features of each one. The emphasis is on natural over technological, human over machined, and individual over mass-produced. Each one-of-a-kind piece is designed as a personal talisman for the wearer.

Peter White, BYWHITE DESIGN
BYWHITE DESIGN is a new company launched this year by Peter White, a graphic designer with an affinity for interiors and objects for the home. White started his career working as an art director for Room Interior Products, an Australian housewares and gift manufacturer, and has since served clients such as Coca Cola, Hershey, Samsung, and Starbucks. He's worked in Melbourne, London, Hong Kong and New York, and splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.

BYWHTE DESIGN will introduce a new product at NYIGF: Le Petit Dej, an injection molded acrylic tray which incorporates a vase for a favorite stem. The tray, manufactured entirely in the USA, is currently available in white, yellow and red, with plans for a gold metallic and tinted transparent versions in 2010.