thomas pink x james cropper paper bar by flow creation at ICA london

thomas pink x james cropper paper bar by flow creation at ICA london
all images courtesy of flow creation

170 year-old paper innovators james cropper and heritage clothing brand thomas pink joined forces to commission a paper bar and set of paper drinking accessories, designed to stand as a centerpiece in the hallowed halls of london’s institute of contemporary arts (ICA) during the london collections fashion event.

developed and built by sam robins of flow creation, the free-standing structure, made from two different weights of cropper’s white kendal manilla stock, came complete with glasses, lamps, and fine architectural details to complement the historic setting. constructed to stand at the heart of thomas pink’s autumn/winter 2015 collection launch on saturday, january 10, 2015, the collaboration called on the creators to evoke the crisp freshness of a new, white shirt while testing the qualities of the versatile paper.

following deliveries of 315gsm and 180gsm sheets to his blackpool studio, robins combined manual hand-working and paper cut techniques with computerized modelling and cutting processes to develop the bar and drinking paraphernalia. as well as working with the apparel company’s commercial team and both event and lighting designers for his cues, he looked to the ICA itself for inspiration, noting detail from the corinthian columns and ornate cornicing.

obins combined manual hand-working and paper cut techniques with computerized modelling and cutting processes

detail of the corinthian columns and ornate cornicing

sam says: ‘initially I was shocked by the size of the venue; it’s a really grand, imposing space. the bar has grown to 8.5 meters long as a result. thomas pink really let me develop the design and specifications with little intervention, simply asking that it did the job of allowing models to interact with it as an alternative to your usual catwalk fashion show. the paper has stood up to every test I have thrown at it, with heavier stock taking the burden of structural support and the lighter weight allowing for decorative elements. many of the props are really quite large, but can stand without additional support.’

the bar in use during the event

as well as creating lemon slices, martini glasses and even a paper-framed, 3D artwork of the pink logo, the work features incorporated LEDs and RGB lighting tape into hidden parts of the bar to ensure it responds to thematic changes during the show. the only structural concession required of the material, to give models confidence in using the project naturally, was an MDF sub-structure for surface strength and ballast. to close the event, gathered VIPs of the fashion industry and press were handed pink pens and invited to leave messages on the clean, white surface.

views of the lamp and flower vase

detail of a martini glass containing a lemon slice

the components will be recycled following the press launch alongside the PINK drink/james cropper branded paper drinks cups used to serve cocktails at the event. the kendal manilla stock contains up to 40% reclaimed fibers, which originates from cropper’s own, pioneering plant, which sees the formerly unrecyclable waste material given a new lease of life.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.